


Peter Quill and the Accidental Theft of his Crush's Boyfriend

by SilverHyena



Series: Accidental Peter Quill [1]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: College AU, Crack Relationships, Crack Relationships that I now ship and am depressed no one else will probably write, Everyone and their Grandma is a background character, I'm Bad At Titles, It kind of stops being a College AU, M/M, Multi, Netflix Marvel characters at some point, Primarily Thorquill, Slow Burn, Turns into a bit of a crime drama at some point, What is slice of life?, no powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-03-06 04:44:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 61,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18843898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverHyena/pseuds/SilverHyena
Summary: Peter Quill has a crush on Gamora, but she's dating Thor.  The plan is to come between the two of them and win Gamora's affection.  The plan goes awry.  Way awry.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have not attempted to write fan fiction in a loooooooong time and it's my first time posting something here. Please be gentle. :P

Going to college was not Peter Quill's idea. In fact, Quill had always just assumed he'd just skip the whole higher education thing and start looking for a job as soon as he graduated high school. But, when Yondu revealed that he'd been secretly saving up money for him to go, Quill couldn't bring himself to tell his dad that he'd had other plans. And thus, he became one of the least promising students at Stark University.

College wasn't the only new thing in Quill's life. Yondu recently tied the knot with his long time girlfriend, May Parker. In an addition to getting a new mom, Quill had gotten a little brother. (At least, sort of. He was technically May's nephew which made him Quill's what? His cousin, right? It was just easier to think of him as a brother, so that's what Quill did.) Ironically, the kid's name was Peter too which was why Quill had started primarily going by his last name. He supposed he could have gone by his middle name, Jason, but Quill just felt more natural. Anyway, May had gotten Quill a job at the diner she owned which was a big help in paying for the overpriced textbooks he needed for class.

It was during one of his shifts at said diner that he first laid eyes upon her-- a young woman with long dark hair with magenta streaks, smooth green skin, and an athletic build. As far as Peter Quill was concerned, she was the most beautiful girl in the galaxy. Luckily, this sighting wasn't an isolated incident. The woman came to the diner often and always requested a booth by one of large windows overlooking the parking lot. There, she'd order a cup of coffee and pore over her textbooks as she worked on her homework. Thanks to the ingenuity of his co-worker, Darcy Lewis, Quill had learned that the woman's name was Gamora and that she also went to Stark University. They'd never had a class together, but the possibility that they might in the future had fueled one too many of Quill's daydreams.

"You know you're staring again, right?" Darcy asked, snapping Quill out of his most recent daydream. Today, Gamora was wearing a maroon tank top and a pair of black jeans. A series of bracelets and jostled around her wrist as she diligently took notes. Quill thought that the way that the sunlight glinted off her hair made her look more like an angel than usual.

"I was not," Quill contested.

"Hey, Peter," Scott Lang, one of Quill's other co-workers, started as he approached the two of them, coffee pot in hand, "you know you're staring again, right?"

Darcy gave Quill an 'I told you so' look in response. "Here's what we're going to do," she said, "you're going to take that coffee pot from Scott and go see if she needs a refill. Be charming. Not creepy."

Right. Charming. Not creepy. Quill took a deep breath as Scott handed him the coffee pot.

"You got this, buddy," he said in support.

"Yeah, I got this," Quill responded with a smile, "Of course I've got this." Quill headed over to Gamora's table and instinctively lowered his voice as he asked, "miss, would you like a refill?"

Gamora cocked an eyebrow. Of course she did. Quill had served her enough times for her to know that wasn't his natural voice. Stand perfectly still, he told himself, thinking of Jurassic Park T-Rex rules. Hey, it was better than making a run for it, right? That was the only other option he could think of in that moment.

The awkward silence was suddenly interrupted by someone knocking on the window. Quill nearly jumped in surprise as he looked up to see a man standing outside. Despite the goofy grin on the man's face, there was no denying that he was attractive. The well defined muscles poorly hidden under his plain white t-shirt combined with the man's shoulder length golden hair made Quill wonder if he'd been summoned from the cover of a romance novel. Upon seeing him, Gamora smiled and started putting away her homework. "Thank you, but no," she said, addressing Quill as she pulled out her wallet and placed a five dollar bill on the table, "my ride is here."

Gamora got up from her seat and hurried out of the diner to meet up with the mystery man. When she did, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. The large window gave Quill a very clear view of the following make out session. When they finally finished, the two of them hopped on a motorcycle and rode off into the sunset.

"That sucks," Scott said.

"Yeah. With a god tier guy like that as a boyfriend, you don't stand a chance," Darcy added.

\---------------------

Quill let out a heavy sigh as he returned home after his shift. No matter how shitty he felt, he still had homework to do. Quill said a quick hi to Yondu who was watching some sort of soap opera on TV and then headed straight to Peter's room. He knocked a couple of times and then opened the door.

"H-hey, Quill," Peter said, sitting on his bed and trying not to look suspicious. Peter's best friend Ned was at the computer looking only slightly less suspicious. "What's up?"

Quill didn't know what they were up to, but he knew it wasn't porn. He'd thought that the last time only to discover that they were looking at something extremely nerdy that had gone way over his head instead. As he didn't want to endure them trying to explain it, Quill simply pretended that he hadn't noticed. "There's five dollars in it for the two of you if you help me with my physics homework."

\---------------------

Tony Stark collected Quill's physics homework the next day. Quill still thought it was weird that someone as famous as him bothered teaching a course-- even if it was his university. That said, it was kind of cool being in the presence of a celebrity like him. What wasn't cool was the difficulty of his class. If he hadn't been asking for Peter's help the whole time, Quill would probably be dangerously close to failing.

"Alright, for this next assignment we'll be splitting into groups of two," Stark said, "and before you start eyeing each other the way you already are, I've already figured who is going to be paired with who. Believe it or not, it won't kill you to split up, Wanda and Pietro." The two in question flash Tony a dirty look, but he pays them no mind. Instead, he starts listing the pairs. Quill only pays attention when his name is called. "Peter Quill and Thor Odinson."

Thor Odinson, huh? Quill didn't recognize the name. Not that he'd actually gotten to know any of his classmates yet. They weren't that far into the semester. Quill looked around, wondering which one of his classmates was his partner when he was approached by the last person he wanted anything to do with. "You're Peter Quill, right?" Gamora's boyfriend asked.

"Yes," Quill said, trying to keep the bitterness in his tone to a minimum.

"Great. That makes us partners then. I'm Thor Odinson. It's a pleasure to meet you," Thor said, extending a hand towards Quill.

Quill spent the next half hour in a gloomy haze. The thing that annoyed him the most was that Thor actually seemed like a decent guy. He was nice and good looking. What more could anyone ask for? Suddenly, the skin between Thor's eyebrows creased and his smile evened into a more neutral expression. Quill observed him for a moment before a sparkle of hope started to take root. "Did you get stuck somewhere?" Quill asked curiously.

Thor looked at Quill with a bit of a pout. So that was a yes? Hah! At least this guy wasn't some kind of super genius. "Alright, big guy, hand it over," Quill said smugly. Thor sighed and pointed out the problem he was having trouble with. If Quill had seen this sort of thing the day before yesterday, he'd have been just as lost, but thanks to the hours of help and multiple explanations he'd received from Peter and Ned (that they did not get paid enough for) the night before, Quill was able to explain how to get the solution in a way that Thor could understand.

"You're actually pretty smart, aren't you?" Thor asked.

"Me? Psh. Naw," Quill said, flattered despite himself, "and by naw, I mean yes. Yes, I am." Thor didn't need to know he was getting help from a couple of high schoolers.

Thor laughed and then leaned back in his chair as he put his pencil down on the table. "You know," he started, "I'm having a party at my place at the end of the week. You should come."

"Hm? Come again?"

\---------------------

"So, let me get this straight," Darcy said, "the guy who is dating the girl you want to date invited you to a party and you're not planning on going?"

"I mean, it'd be weird, wouldn't it?" Quill asked, standing next to the soda fountain as he worked on getting a group of customer's their drinks.

"You have to go!" Darcy said, "if he's having a party you know who is definitely going to be there! This might be your chance to actually talk to her!"

"Yeah, but she's his girlfriend. It'd feel wrong to try and hit on her at his party after he was the one who invited me in the first place."

"Hey, man. All is fair in love and war."

"You just want to go as my plus one."

"Yes, I want to go as your plus one," Darcy admitted bluntly, "do you know what kind of neighborhood Bifrost Circle is? This party is going to be amazing. We've got to go. Pleeeeease?"

"Fine. But you better not ditch me the second we get there," Quill said seriously. He still couldn't shake the idea that going to the party was a bad idea. The possibility of seeing Gamora outside of work was too tantalizing an offer to turn down though. If only Quill had known the disastrous consequences that awaited him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And bam! Chapter 2 is done! Enjoy! Just, uh, don't expect updates to normally be this quick. It all just kind of depends on how inspired I am. :P

Darcy ditched Quill the second they got to the party. Honestly, he'd seen it coming, but it was still a bit devastating having to face the large crowds of strangers on his own. The house was freakin' huge and it was still so packed that he had to elbow his way through to get anywhere. Quill was starting to think that finding Gamora may be an impossibility at this point.

Quill passed through the kitchen first and nabbed a few appetizers as he overheard a princely looking Wakandan exchange student debating politics with a clean shaven blond man whose look said 'so wholesome you'll want to show me to your parents'. They kept him from getting to the cheese sticks he'd been eyeing. After vowing to come back later, Quill found his way to one of the bedrooms where a few gamers had set up a console to play a first person shooter. Quill took a few turns and befriended a couple of guys named Korg and Miek before admitting defeat and deciding it was time to move on. As he passed through the living room, the dj started playing one of Quill's favorite songs. Naturally, he had to stop what he was doing and hit the dance floor.

"Nice moves," a voice came from behind as the last few notes of the song played. Quill whirled around to see Gamora herself standing there. "I'm impressed."

"Uh, h-hi," Quill said, combing a hand through his hair and standing a little straighter.

"Gamora," Gamora said. Of course, Quill already knew that. She didn't know that he knew that though.

"I'm--"

"I know who you are."

"What? Really?"

"My name is Quill. I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with a cup of coffee?" Gamora repeated Quill's own words back to him. "Of course I know who you are."

"I just thought, well, you know. Most people don't remember that sort of thing."

"Yeah, well, that sort of thing may be forgivable the first ten times, but when you go somewhere as often as I go to that diner it'd be embarrassing not to pick up on that sort of thing," she said with a gentle smile.

"I see," Quill responded with a smile of his own. Knowing that he actually existed to her was kind of amazing. "You wouldn't happen to want to, um..."

"Dance?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not very good."

"That's okay," Quill said. He offered her his hand and, to his surprise, she took it. If the stars hadn't aligned before, they certainly did now as a slow song started playing. Quill gingerly put a hand on Gamora's hip and started leading her around the dance floor. "You look like a natural to me."

"It's easy to look like a natural when all you have to do is sway around to a slow song like this one."

Quill chuckled. How could she be any more perfect? The two of them danced in silence for a bit before Quill brought up something that was bothering him. "You're dating Thor, right? If that's the case, why aren't you with him right now?"

"Have you seen how many people are attending this party? He's the host so he's kind of obligated to spend time with other people."

"He won't get jealous that you're spending time with me though?"

"Thor doesn't really get jealous," Gamora said. Quill thought he detected a hint of sadness.

"Come on. Everyone gets jealous."

"Not Thor." Gamora flicked her head, sending a wave of her hair bouncing. "Being with him is... uncomplicated. And I like that. There's enough drama in my life outside of my relationship with Thor to keep that refreshing. But sometimes..." Gamora hesitated, finally choosing to end with a, "nevermind."

"You don't have to hold back on my account. Really."

Gamora's eyes met Quill's and for a moment she looked him over, assessing him. "This never gets back to Thor, understand? If it does, I will never tip you again."

"Yes, ma'am."

"He's nice to everyone so sometimes I don't feel... special," Gamora said with a frown, "which sounds terrible because he does everything right and I--"

"It's not terrible," Quill said, taking her hands in his, "you deserve to feel special. I would never let you feel like you were anything less."

Gamora took a step back, putting some distance between them as she looked down at the floor. Quill knew then that he'd overstepped. "I'm going to go now," Gamora said, forcing herself to look up at him as she said the words.

"Right," Quill said, letting her go, "sorry."

Gamora glanced back at him once more before disappearing into the crowd. Quill immediately went for some alcohol. How could he have been so stupid? Fuck. He might have ruined everything. What if she didn't come by the diner anymore because of what he'd done? Quill grabbed a cup and started looking over his options as someone new approached him.

"You should probably try this one instead," a man with slicked back black hair said, offering Quill an unidentified drink. "My name is Loki, by the way."

"Quill," Quill answered automatically, accepting the drink. Whether or not he'd actually swallow the thing was another matter. "What is this?"

"Basically? Liquid courage," Loki answered with a shrug, "I saw your interaction with Gamora, you know? I don't think it went as badly as you think it did."

"She's dating Thor."

"Thor is my brother. I am very aware of his relationship status."

"Then why are you encouraging me?"

"Because maybe I believe in true love when I see it. Or something like that," Loki smirked. It was definitely not that. Even Quill could figure out that much. Still, when Loki leaned in and whispered in Quill's ear, he listened. He listened intently. "Do you really want to end things like that? Chase after her and let her know about all that passion you're hiding in your heart. I promise she'll respond to it."

That said, Loki clapped Quill on the shoulder and moved on. Quill looked down at the drink Loki had offered him. Liquid courage, huh? Well, he could certainly use it if he intended to follow through with Loki's plan. What did he have to lose? He'd already blown things with Gamora. This was the only option left to him. At least, that's what Quill told himself as he downed the whole drink in one go.

\---------------------

Peter groaned when someone switched the lights on. He had a massive headache.

"You ever come home as shitfaced as you were last night and I will beat your sorry ass, understand?" Yondu said, waving a strict finger in Quill's face. Quill had known his adoptive father long enough to know that he was all bark and no bite when it came to Quill, but he nodded along anyway. "Good. Now, get up. We're going to have this conversation in a more polite way with May."

Quill made his way to the kitchen table and took a seat opposite of Yondu and May. Yondu pretended to be angry while May's expression exuded concern. "Now, Quill. We understand that in college there are certain expectations placed upon you by your peers," May started, "but you need to take care of yourself. We worry about you and want you to make good decisions." The conversation continued along those lines for about ten minutes. May led the conversation with Yondu only interrupting upon occasion to completely agree with her. May's concern as she reached out and took Quill's hand did the trick though. Quill couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"How did I get home last night?" Quill asked.

"Your friend drove you home."

"Darcy?"

"No. He was blond. Very handsome. And charming." Thor then. Great.

"But not as charming as me, right baby?" Yondu said, playfully placing a hand on May's knee.

"Oh stop," she giggled.

"Guys. Not in front of the children," Quill groaned.

"If you're old enough to get wasted, you're old enough to deal with a tiny display of affection between your guardians," May said, without mercy. "Anyway, you got the gist of all that, right?"

"Yes, mom," Quill responded in his best imitation of a good child. "Before we wrap this up though... Did Thor say anything about, well, anything?"

"No," May said, "he just asked us to go easy on you." Yondu pulled May into his lap and started kissing along her neck.

"Oh, come on," Quill groaned, "I don't want to see that." Yondu flipped Quill off. Quill took that as a sign that the conversation was over. He hadn't gotten a chance to ask nearly any of the questions he had. Then again, neither of them probably had the answers he was looking for in the first place. As much as he was dreading it, he'd have to ask Thor about what had happened last night. Or Loki. The more he thought about it, the more Quill figured the latter would have more of the answers he was looking for.

\---------------------

On monday, Quill cornered Loki and slammed him against the wall. "You're going to tell me everything that I did at the party after you gave me that drink," Quill said forcefully.

"And what makes you think I'd know? It's not like I care how your evening turned out."

"Oho! I disagree! You were very interested in what I'd end up doing with Gamora. There is no way that you wouldn't have kept tabs on whatever I did afterwards," Quill said in a tone not unlike a detective putting all the pieces of a mystery together to reveal the murderer.

"Really now? And why would I do something like that?"

"Because you're jealous of Gamora! You want her out of the picture so that your brother will spend more time with you!"

"What? No!" Loki exclaimed, frankly horrified that Quill had come to such a conclusion. While it hadn't exactly been the correct theory, it did get Loki to reveal his true intentions. "My brother gets everything he wants handed to him on a silver platter! Just once I wanted to see him be denied something! While I didn't exactly expect you to break him and Gamora up, I was hoping that you'd at least put some kind of strain on their relationship. That's why I gave you the damn drink! To make sure you'd actually try something instead of just thinking about it! I do not have some weird brother complex!"

"Dude, even if you hate him that still counts as a brother complex," Quill said, easing up on his grip. "Either way, that means you paid attention, right? So what did I do?"

"Nothing," Loki said, crossing his arms in a huff, "honestly, you were a disappointment. I gravely overestimated your tolerance for alcohol. You didn't even get to Gamora. You stumbled around the house, fought with the dj, and then fell into the pool. Thor came to your rescue and decided it was time to take you home after that."

"How'd he know where I live?"

"He got your address from some brunette with glasses."

"That'd be Darcy then... Okay. And did I say anything weird on the car ride home?"

"You'd have to ask Thor about that. I wasn't there," Loki said, "now, will you let me go? I've told you all I can tell you."

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

"Says the guy who went to my brother's party to steal his girlfriend."

"That's not," Quill started before stopping himself. He couldn't deny it. Even if he hadn't actually expected to get anywhere, that was exactly why he'd gone.

"We wanted the same thing and you know it," Loki hissed. Instead of responding with words, Quill let Loki go and backed off. Loki just straightened his collar and then wandered off as if their encounter had never happened.

\---------------------

Quill took a deep breath as he entered the classroom. This was going to be his first time seeing Thor since the party and he didn't know what to expect. It didn't sound like he'd been mad at him when Thor supposedly dropped him off, but things could have changed. Gamora might have mentioned something about their interaction or maybe he'd said something wrong while he was drunk in the car that Thor simply didn't bring up in front of Quill's parents. All sorts of scenarios floated through Quill's head, the majority of them ending with Thor hating him. Quill found he didn't like that possibility at all. Ugh. Why did he have to kind of sort of want to be friends with his crush's boyfriend? It made things way more complicated than they should have been.

"Ah, Quill," Thor said happily, jolting Quill back into reality. The blond went in for a hug and Quill just stood there and accepted it like a deer in headlights. "It's good to see you, my friend." As it turns out, Thor was really good at hugs. The way his muscular arms wrapped around Quill's torso made him feel like a swaddled baby.

"It's, uh, good to see you too, Thor. Sorry about all the trouble I caused at your party."

"Think nothing of it! I'm just glad you went," Thor said, finally releasing Quill after patting him on the back. "If anything, I'm sorry we didn't get around to chatting before you drunk yourself into a stupor."

"Right. Sorry about that too. I didn't mean for you to have to drive me home."

"Don't be. It gave me a chance to get to know you better."

"Huh? Um, what exactly do you mean by that?"

"You're quite the talkative drunk, you know that?"

"No, I do not know that! What did I say?"

"That's for me to know," Thor said with a chuckle.

"Come on, man! I will literally die if you don't tell me," Quill replied dramatically.

"Fine, fine," Thor smiled, "you were all grouchy and babbled on about how stupidly attractive I am. I was flattered, by the way."

"S-seriously?"

"Yup. I know it's a little rude to say this, but your insecurity is kind of adorable." Thor placed a hand on Quill's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "You really should believe in yourself more though. You're a good looking man yourself, Quill. I'm sure the person you have a crush on thinks so too." Thor then pulled Quill into a headlock. "Speaking of which, you have to tell me who it is so I can help hook the two of you up."

"That's not--"

"I will hear no protests!"

Quill needed a name! Any name that wasn't Gamora! He opened his mouth before he fully knew what he was going to say and spat out the first thing that came to mind, "Loki!"

Thor unceremoniously dropped Quill to the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki? How could it be Loki? Thor stared at his brother from his seat on the couch as Loki flipped through a thick book a couple of feet away. There was nothing wrong with Loki's looks. His personality though... It left something to be desired. Loki certainly wasn't the type of person Thor thought someone like Quill would go for. The hints Quill had mumbled about his crush while he was drunk in the car sounded nothing like Loki in the first place. Either Quill had the wrong idea about Thor's brother or he was seeing something in Loki that Thor certainly didn't.

Loki shut the book and looked up at Thor. "If you have something to say, just say it," Loki said in an annoyed tone. "Your unrelenting stare is almost as disturbing as the fact that you haven't said a word this entire time. Normally, you can't shut up." Loki smiled and leaned back in his chair, "wait. Did Gamora dump you?"

"Of course not," Thor said dismissively. "Our love is eternal."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I suppose it was too much to hope for."

"I have no idea where all this animosity comes from," Thor stated. He had never done anything that Loki should hate him for. At least, Thor couldn't think of anything.

"Of course you don't," Loki sighed.

"You know, if you were in a relationship, I would support you."

"Then thank goodness I am not in one."

"I just want you to be happy. What's so wrong with that?"

"You are overbearing and insufferable," Loki said, opening his book up once more. It was his way of ending the conversation. Thor knew that much by now.

Thor sighed and went back to his thoughts for a moment before making a decision. He wasn't sure hooking Quill and Loki up was the right thing to do, but he supposed he could at least see if there was any interest there. "Hey," Thor started, "do you know Peter Quill?"

Loki paled slightly. Was that panic Thor sensed? He couldn't be sure since Loki covered it up shortly after. "I may have run into him at your party. Why?" Loki asked, attempting to sound casual.

"I was just wondering what you thought of him."

"You are wondering what I think of Peter Quill?" Loki repeated Thor's statement in the form of a question. "Why on earth would that be of interest to you?"

"I just... I wanted to get your input on something. That's all."

Loki raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Care to be more specific?"

"No."

"Then I see no reason to give you a proper answer."

"Please, Loki."

Loki sighed, but gave in when Thor gave him a pitiful look. Despite his brother's protests, this technique usually worked for whatever reason. "Fine. What am I assessing? His looks? His personality?"

"Both."

"Okay. Look wise, I'd say he's a little above average," Loki said thoughtfully, "he doesn't exactly stand out, but he isn't ugly. And he does have a certain roguish charm to him." That was an unexpectedly kind response coming from Loki. Maybe Quill did have a chance. "As for his personality... He's an idiot. He's the kind of person you want to avoid because he has a habit of complicating rather simple situations." Well, that was less positive. Then again, Thor was pretty sure Loki thought everyone was an idiot. Maybe it wasn't the deal breaker it sounded like. "And I think that's all I have to say about him."

"I-I see." 

"Did you get what you needed?"

"Maybe."

"Good. Now leave me alone."

"As you wish," Thor said, getting up from the couch. He took one last look at Loki before leaving the room. His brother and Quill... Even if Loki's words had convinced him the pair wasn't completely hopeless, something about it still bugged him.

\---------------------

"I blame you," Quill told Darcy the second they had another shift together.

"I know, I know. I ditched you at the party, but come on. You're an adult. You can take care of yourself," she replied defensively.

"No, I can not. That is the one thing that has been made transparently clear to me in these past few days."

"So you got drunk. It's not--" Darcy stopped short, noticing a customer at the door. Quill turned to see Gamora standing there. Considering he hadn't seen her in days, this was a surprise.

"You, um, want your usual table by the window?" Quill asked, taking over.

"That'd be great," she responded shyly.

"Then right this way," Quill said, grabbing her a menu before escorting her to her booth. "A cup of coffee, right?"

Gamora nodded. "I'll probably get something to eat today too. I just... need a minute to decide," she said.

"Of course."

"Hey, Quill," she said, suddenly. "Can we talk? After your shift."

"It'll be awhile."

"That's fine. I've got a paper to write so as long as you don't need this table for other customers, I can just work on that."

The diner got it's fair share of customers, but they never really had a shortage of tables. That's why Gamora ordering a single cup of coffee and spending a good chunk of time there had never been an issue. "Okay. Then yeah. We'll talk after my shift."

"Good going," Darcy mouthed as Quill passed by her on his way to get Gamora some coffee. Quill wasn't as enthusiastic. Sure, it was great that he hadn't scared her away completely, but he didn't exactly imagine the conversation going the way he wanted it to.

\---------------------

After his shift, Quill and Gamora headed to a nearby park. Each of them occupied one of the swings on the swing set as they sipped on the milkshakes Quill had ordered for them on his way out. It was later in the evening now, so they didn't have to worry about sharing the park with a bunch of noisy children.

"So," Quill started with a gulp, "what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologize," Gamora said, "for the way I acted at the party."

"You didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who--"

"I intentionally led you on," Gamora interrupted.

"What?"

"I've known that you liked me for a long time. I'm not stupid and you're not exactly subtle," Gamora said, "also, your conversations with your friends are not as quiet as you think they are."

Quill could feel the heat rise in his cheeks.

"I guess I just wanted to spend some time with someone I knew would give me their undivided attention for a bit. And that was selfish and messed up-- especially since I had no intention of returning your feelings."

"I see."

"I like you, Quill. You're sweet and fun and I know you're going to make someone really happy one day," Gamora said, "but it can't be me. I love my boyfriend. I love Thor."

"Do you think we could at least be friends?" Quill asked, his voice dry.

"I would like that, but do you really think you could actually think of me that way? Honestly, I should probably stop coming by the diner. It'd probably make things easier."

"Don't stop coming to the diner," Quill said, "I don't want to take that away from you. And... You might be right about me not being able to think of you as just a friend, but could we at least try?"

"Quill," Gamora sighed, "it's not a good idea."

Before Quill could respond, a fancy car pulled up nearby. The tinted window on the driver's side rolled down to reveal a massive man with purple skin and a square jaw. "Is this the boyfriend?" he asked, looking Quill over in a rather judgmental way.

"No, dad, he is not the boyfriend," Gamora growled, getting up from her seat. "And you shouldn't be here in the first place."

"I told you I wanted you and your sister home for dinner tonight. Of course I'm going to worry when you don't show up. Now, get in the car."

"Sir, she doesn't have to go anywhere with you," Quill piped up, getting up and standing beside Gamora in solidarity.

"Stay out of this, Quill," Gamora muttered.

"Quill, is it?" the man noted.

"Yeah. Peter Quill. You got that?" Quill challenged.

"My name is Thanos. You might want to look up that name before giving me the white knight routine."

"I'm getting in the car, alright?" Gamora said, heading for the door. "Just leave him alone."

Quill and Thanos glared at each other, but said nothing until Gamora got into the back seat and buckled up. "Have a good night, Quill," Thanos said with a nod as he rolled up his window.

"You too, asshole," Quill grumbled as Thanos drove away.

\---------------------

"I have a plan," Thor announced, catching Quill in the hallway a few minutes before class the next day.

"A plan? For what?" Quill asked, confused. His mind was still on Gamora and her dad, so he wasn't exactly following Thor's train of thought.

"To get you and Loki together," Thor said.

"Right," Quill groaned. "Look, about that... You don't need to go out of your way to--"

"No, I do," Thor said, "I know I was a little weird about it when you first mentioned it, but I need you to know that that wasn't because I think it's weird for a guy to be with another guy. I myself have had past relationships with men."

"Okay. That's way too much information."

"I was just surprised that you fell for my brother. That's all. I mean he's not exactly the most sociable person in the world and he can be a little, well..."

"And you're not even listening to me, are you?"

"The point is, you have my support," Thor ended.

Quill sighed. He knew he was going to regret asking, but the way Thor looked at him with that determined gaze of his made Quill give in. "What did you have in mind then?"

"A study group," Thor said giddily, "Loki is taking Physics this semester too. He's in a different class, but they should be studying the same material at a similar pace. It'd be the perfect opportunity for you to get closer to him and we could all brush up on our knowledge at the same time. Besides, I think Loki would be very interested very interested in learning how intelligent you can be." Thor ended the statement with a wink. Quill found it slightly disturbing.

Still, that plan might actually work out in Quill's favor. He could continue pretending that he was interested in Loki without actually doing anything about it. He'd just have to wait a few sessions and then tell Thor that his 'crush' on Loki just sort of fizzled out. This way, he could let Thor think he'd told the truth and not have to actually date Loki. The only issue was that he'd probably have to come clean about getting help from Peter. In the grand scheme of things, that seemed like a minor issue at this point. "Yeah, okay. But, um... I do have to confess something," Quill answered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll probably start seeing more more switches in perspective. I originally tried keeping it to just Quill, but I've broken that rule a couple of times now. I'm just not going to worry about it since it lets me include more background information. Hopefully nobody minds. :P

"Really? We're doing this now?" Tony asked as Pepper threw a pile of paper on his desk during his office hours. She was accompanied by Bruce Banner, a man whom Tony had at one point considered a close friend. In fact, Bruce had been set to teach a couple of science classes until their fallout. Tony hadn't had the time to replace him which was why he'd ended up teaching the classes himself.

"You didn't exactly give me much of a choice," Pepper said coldly. "I tried going by the house multiple times, I've literally left you hundreds of messages on your phone, and I even e-mailed you to see if for whatever reason you'd respond to that. The thing is, none of those things work if you are purposely avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you."

"Tony, no one can blame you for being upset," Bruce gently interjected. It was clear he was trying to make peace between the three of them. But Tony didn't want peace. "Divorce is... complicated. Especially when you have a child to consider and--"

"Oh yeah, Bruce? Did you consider my kid's feelings when you fucked my wife?" Tony asked, arms crossed.

"That's not fair," Bruce responded.

"Yeah, well, let's agree to disagree."

"You're the one that cheated, Tony. We were over long before Bruce and I got involved," Pepper said. "You have no one to blame but yourself. Sign the papers."

Tony took a pen from his desk and scribbled his signature on each document with as much attitude as he could muster. "There. Happy?"

Pepper just sighed and shook her head. She took the documents and straightened them out before tucking them away under her arm. "Let's go, Bruce," she said, refusing to acknowledge Tony any more than she already had. Bruce looked back at Tony regretfully before following her out the door.

Tony leaned back in his chair and stared at the door frame. She was really leaving him. Until now he'd hoped that if he put things off long enough he could convince her to stay, but... It was like she'd said: he had no one to blame but himself. But why did she have to take Bruce too? That was almost worse. Bruce had been his friend and Tony didn't have a lot of those. In fact, he probably didn't have any of those any more. God, he wished he had some alcohol right now.

"So... Is now a bad time?" Peter Quill asked, popping his head into Tony's office. 

Tony jolted upright. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry."

"Out of curiosity, how much of that did you overhear?"

"All of it."

"Yeah, of course. That figures," Tony sighed. He gestured to the chair sitting in front of his desk and said, "well, come in and take a seat. What can I do for you, Quill?"

"I need a favor."

Tony's eyes narrowed, "a favor?"

"Yeah. You see, my kid brother is a fan of yours and I sort of promised I'd get you to talk to him if he agreed to help me and a couple of others study for your physics class." Quill had figured that'd get him out of paying for each session for the foreseeable future. Not that Peter ever really pushed the issue. He'd probably do it for free if Quill asked, but he felt a little guilty taking up so much of Peter's time without giving him anything in return.

"Let me get this straight. You're trying to bribe your younger brother into helping you study?"

"Yes, exactly," Quill said, "and before you give me that judgmental look, he's in high school. He isn't that much younger. Also, he's a genius so it's not embarrassing at all."

Tony replied with a judgmental look.

"Anyway..." Quill cleared his throat and said, "there's a five dollar bill in it for you if you talk to him."

"I'm a billionaire. You really think I want your five dollars?"

"Sir, I don't think you realize how meaningful this would be to him. Also, it's his birthday."

Tony was pretty heartless, but he wasn't that heartless. "Fine," he said, "but in exchange I want you to keep quiet about what you overheard earlier."

"Done," Quill said immediately.

"What's the kid's name?"

"Peter."

"Isn't that your name?"

"Yeah, but it's his name too. He already came prenamed when my dad married his guardian."

"Got it," Tony said, realizing he was asking for information that he didn't actually care about. "Give him a call."

"I'm going to put you on video chat, okay? I don't think he'll believe me otherwise."

"That's fine."

Quill set up the call and put his phone in front of Tony. Peter answered quickly, but his attention wasn't on the camera. Instead, he was working on something on his computer.  
"Hey, Quill."

"Hello, Peter?" Tony tried. The reaction was instantaneous.

Peter's eyes immediately darted to the screen and when he saw that it was Tony Stark on the other side he jumped into his chair. Honestly, the enthusiasm was kind of flattering. "Holy!" Peter exclaimed, placing both hands on the top of his head, "y-you're Tony Stark!"

"Yeah, well, that's what they tell me," Tony said, "happy birthday, by the way."

"It's not my birthday."

Tony glanced over at Quill who attempted to look innocent. "Never mind," Tony said, his attention returning to Peter, "hey, kid, I've got a question for you. What's that on the shelf behind you?"

"Oh, this?" Peter asked, pulling a mysterious gadget from the shelf, "it's just something I've been working on."

"Tell me about it."

Peter's eyes lit up as he jumped into the explanation. Tony found he was much more interested than he thought he'd be. The kid knew what he was doing. Now he understood what Quill was talking about when he'd claimed his brother was a genius. Out of curiosity, Tony started subtly testing Peter, asking probing questions to see just how vast the kid's knowledge was. Peter continuously impressed him until Tony made a decision. "What are your plans once you finish High School? You're planning on going to college, right? What do you think about coming here?"

"I mean, yes. Of course. Going to your university has sort of been a dream of mine," Peter managed.

"Then consider it done."

"D-done? You mean?"

"I want you to come to my school once you've graduated. On my dime," Tony clarified.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Mr. Stark, I don't know what to say."

"Say yes."

"I'll have to talk with Aunt May, but... yes," Peter said.

"Good. I'll sort out the details and get back to you and the rest of your family," Tony said, "for now, keep up the good work."

"You too, Mr. Stark."

Tony ended the call with a smile and then turned to Quill who who'd apparently fallen asleep some time during his conversation with Peter. He supposed they had rambled on for awhile. Well, time to get Quill out of his office. "Hey, Quill," he said. When Quill didn't respond, he raised his voice, "Quill!"

"Huh? I'm up, I'm up!" Quill said, jolting awake. "What'd I miss?"

"You're lucky that was the highlight of what has otherwise been a shitty day," Tony said, "now get out of here before I take points off your grade for lying to me about it being the kid's birthday."

"Right. See you next class," Quill said, grabbing his phone and heading for the door.

\---------------------

"Is this really a room?" Loki said as he entered Quill's room after Thor. Peter and Quill had already set up for their tutoring session by pulling out a card table that took up the majority of the room that wasn't already occupied by Quill's bed. Loki gave the fold-able chairs a look of distaste as he continued with his previous line of thought. "It feels more like a closet with how tiny it is."

"Yeah, well, not everyone's family is made of money," Quill said defensively.

"I think it's cozy," Thor chimed in.

"Thank you, Thor."

"This poster of David Hasselhoff is quite tasteful."

"I know, right? Whoever did the lighting for that shot really knew what they were doing."

"Agreed. It really brings out his musculature."

"You two can stop flirting any time now," Loki said with an unamused expression.

"Wait. You two are dating?" Peter asked with a gasp.

"Oh, no. No, Quill and I are just very good friends," Thor said. "Quill is single and very available."

"So, physics homework!" Quill practically shouted as he turned a bright shade of red. "We should probably dive right into that, don't you guys think?"

"That's an excellent idea. Quill, why don't you sit next to Loki?"

"Thor," Quill said through gritted teeth, "may I have a word with you in the hallway?"

"Of course."

Thor followed Quill out of the room leaving Peter alone with Loki. "What do you think that's about?" Peter asked Loki curiously.

"Either my brother is trying to hook me up with Quill or he is cheating on his girlfriend and is covering it up terribly. At least, that's what I would think if either of those theories weren't completely absurd," Loki said dismissively, "regardless, I didn't come here to get involved in their shenanigans."

"Right. What parts did you need help with?"

"Need is a strong word," Loki frowned. He wasn't his brother. He could figure out how to do his homework on his own. But it was true that it'd probably go a little faster with this kid's help-- as embarrassing as that was.

"Of course," Peter said quickly, adjusting his language, "want then?"

Loki was much more okay with that word. "Yes. Want works."

Meanwhile, in the hallway... Once Quill was sure they were out of earshot, he rounded on Thor. "What the hell, man? You can't just go and say things like that!"

"How else is Loki supposed to figure out you're interested in him?" Thor asked.

"I don't know: naturally, over time maybe."

Thor responded with a laugh. When Quill glared at him, he realized that Quill was serious. "Apologies," Thor said, clearing his throat, "I didn't mean to insult you. But I do think that if you like someone, you should just come out and say it. It saves a lot of time the two of you would just waste pining over each other."

"You think it's that easy?"

"I know that it's that easy. That's how I've started all of my relationships."

"Yeah, well, let's be real, no one is going to say no to... this," Quill gestured to Thor's body.

"Thank you."

"That wasn't my point! My point is, that sort of thing doesn't work for regular people!"

"Maybe not, but you're not regular," Thor said bluntly, "if I wasn't happily involved with Gamora, I'd ask you out myself."

That shut Quill up. He could feel his face turning redder by the second as his heart started racing. Being alone with Thor suddenly felt very awkward.

"It's nice to see you again," May interjected as she passed by with a basket of laundry in hand. While Quill was glad he didn't have to respond, he could swear that the surprise of her sudden appearance took ten years off his life.

"It's nice to see you again as well, Mrs. Parker," Thor said with a charming grin that would win over any mother.

"I don't believe I got your name last time."

"Thor."

"Great. Well, Thor, will you be staying for dinner?"

"Thank you for the offer, but my brother and I have prior commitments. I would love to join you and your family some other time though."

"I'll hold you to that," May said before moving on, "have fun, you two."

Realizing their conversation was wrapping up, Quill struggled to find a new topic to bring up. No way he was letting things get back to the statement Thor had made before the interruption. "Gamora," Quill started.

"Hm? What about her?" Thor asked.

Quill did find that there was something he wanted to bring up about Gamora. "Is she alright?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just... Last time I saw her, she didn't exactly seem to be on good terms with her dad."

"Her dad?" Thor asked, looking more distraught than Quill had ever seen him, "how do you know Gamora again?"

Right. That was something Quill had never mentioned to Thor. He'd probably assumed Quill didn't have any real sort of connection to Gamora in the first place. "I work at the diner she studies at," Quill said, "I actually saw you there once before we officially met."

"So you ran into her dad at the diner?"

"No," Quill said, wondering if he was saying too much by being honest, "Gamora and I went to the park after one of my shifts. He came by in his car and told her to get in. She didn't seem like she wanted to go."

"She's never told me anything about her family," Thor said seriously.

"T-to be fair, she didn't exactly intend to reveal anything to me either," Quill said quickly, "he just happened to show up."

"Sorry. I know that's important, but, um... Before that, why were you with my girlfriend?"


	5. Chapter 5

"What was I doing with your girlfriend?" Quill repeated the question to try and buy himself some time. If he told Thor what they'd really been talking about, he'd have to confess that he was in love with Gamora. And that would be the end of... whatever this was. Friendship? Thor certainly seemed to think so. Quill wasn't ready to call it that. Of course, that was probably because of the huge secret he'd been keeping from Thor in the first place. Still, whatever he'd call it, he didn't want to end it here. He had to lie. "I," Quill started. He made the mistake of looking into Thor's eyes. Under the other man's piercing gaze, Quill didn't dare give the excuse he'd been planning to. Quill hung his head in shame as he said a quiet, "I can't tell you."

"W-what is that supposed to mean?" Thor laughed. It wasn't a mirthful laugh though. It was one designed to cover up the mixed emotions he was going through at that very moment.

"It means what it means. I can't tell you," Quill said firmly, forcing himself to look at Thor. "But it's not what you think. All we did was talk. And Gamora... She didn't do anything wrong. She loves you."

"If she didn't do anything wrong then why can't you tell me?"

"Because I did something wrong!" Quill admitted.

Thor frowned. Quill didn't think he'd put the pieces together quite yet, but it was only a matter of time. He'd said too much. There was nothing left to do now but come clean.

"I'm in love with your girlfriend," Quill said, "I have been for a long time now. I made a move at your party and... That talk was basically her telling me that it will never happen."

"W-what about Loki?"

"That was total bullshit," Quill groaned, "I just said the first name that came to mind that wasn't Gamora."

"I see," Thor said dryly. "You were never my friend. You just wanted to steal my girlfriend."

"Yeah," Quill admitted, "I'm trash." God, this sucked! Quill had never felt dirtier in his entire life than he did right now. He'd hurt Thor and Thor had done nothing to deserve it. Seeing the broken expression on his face destroyed Quill.

"I can't do this right now," Thor said, walking away. Quill just watched him go. What more was there to do? It was only when Quill heard the front door slam and Thor's car start up that Quill realized Thor had forgotten about Loki. Quill rushed outside to try and stop him, but it was too late. Thor was already gone.

"Great," Quill sighed. Well, he supposed he was in charge of driving Loki home. He headed back to his room to find Peter and Loki working on homework like they were supposed to.

"Where's Thor?" Loki asked.

"I, um... I fucked up," Quill said.

"Huh? But you were only out in the hallway for a few minutes," Peter exclaimed, "how could you mess things up that quickly?"

"Well, you know me..."

"Oh god. You actually told him you were into his girlfriend," Loki groaned.

"What?" Peter interjected. He then looked at Quill.

"I'll, uh, give you the full explanation later, okay?" Quill asked.

"Okay," Peter said with a frown. "I guess I'll leave for now so you two can sort things out or something. Just... Are you going to be alright, Quill?"

Quill grabbed Peter and hugged him. "You are the best brother I could have asked for."

"Q-Quill! Can't breathe."

"Ah, sorry, kiddo," Quill said, releasing him. "Yeah, I'll be okay. After all, I've got you and your aunt and Yondu."

"Right," Peter smiled, "And I've got you."

"Hell yeah you do."

"Gross," Loki commented.

"You're just jealous," Quill said.

"Of a loser like you? Yeah right," Loki said. It had taken him a second to retort which told Quill that there had probably been some merit to what he'd said about Loki being jealous.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Loki," Peter said as he made his way toward the door.

"Yeah," Loki said, "likewise, Peter."

Quill stared at Loki suspiciously as Peter left the room. "What was that?" Quill asked.

"What was what?"

"You were polite!"

"Yeah, well... I think it'd be hard for anyone to dislike your little brother," Loki said. He quickly followed up the sincere statement with a joke to cover it up. "Anytime you'd like to trade siblings, I would consider it."

"Yeah, well, Thor kind of hates me right now so that wouldn't work even if I was interested in a trade."

"I have a sister too, you know?"

"Really?"

"Yes. She's currently in jail, but she gets out soon."

"Yeah, I'm going to have to pass," Quill replied. The news that Loki and Thor had a sibling he hadn't met was interesting though. "Anyway, we're kind of dodging the subject at this point."

"Right. Thor hates you because you suddenly thought it was a good idea to tell him the truth," Loki summarized, "well, if it makes you feel better, I was probably going to tell him myself at some point. I was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to make the reveal as horrible as possible. It's probably best that it came from you. He'll be more likely to forgive you eventually this way."

"So this was really what you wanted?"

"Yes," Loki said, "the timing could have been better though. I was hoping I'd get to complete my homework first."

"Yeah, well, I doubt you'll feel the same about all of this later. You didn't see your brother's face."

"Quill," Loki said, "you really don't know the first thing about my family."

"Pack up your stuff," Quill said with a sigh, "I'll drive you home since Thor split. You can tell me all about your trauma on the way over."

Loki laughed, "as if I'd bother telling you anything."

"Great. I'd rather listen to my music than your voice anyway."

\---------------------

"Is all your music this old?" Loki asked as Quill blasted the tracks his mom had introduced to him through her awesome mixes.

"No, just most of it," Quill answered between singing along with the lyrics. "They're classics."

"Oh, yes, classics," Loki said, rolling his eyes.

"These songs are basically what I have left of my mother. She died of cancer, but before that she made me a couple of mix tapes. The second one was the last thing she ever gave me. It took me forever to open the package it was in." 

"O-oh."

"Yeah. I bet you feel like an asshole now," Quill said. Loki sulked, sinking lower into his seat. "Your turn. Why do you hate your brother?"

"I don't hate him. Not really. It's just..." Loki sighed. Was he really going to just tell Quill everything? He'd kept his secrets to himself for so long. Ah, what the hell? It's not like Quill was going to be around anymore anyway. That would require him and Thor patching things up and Loki figured that wasn't likely. What was the worst that could happen? "Thor is the favorite. I know I'm adopted, but our father doesn't even attempt to hide his nepotism. Everything Thor wants, he gets it without question. Me though? I'm an afterthought at best. And Thor doesn't notice at all. He thinks dad is great and that he treats us the same. That's why I wanted him to experience disappointment for at least once in his life."

"So, what I'm getting out of all of that is that you just want him to be able to understand how you feel?"

Loki sunk even further into his seat. "You simplifying it that way makes me feel like I'm being a spoiled brat."

"If you were spoiled, you probably wouldn't be having those kinds of issues," Quill said with a small smile, "you are a brat though."

To his surprise, Loki found himself smiling in return. "Maybe just a little."

"You can jump in anytime," Quill said before resuming his sing-a-long.

"Oh, I am not singing," Loki said firmly.

"Come on, Loki. Live a little. I promise it's not going to kill you."

"You know, you don't seem all that broken up about what happened between you and my brother right now," Loki said in an annoyed tone.

Quill went quiet. Ah. So the music was a distraction? The conversation probably was too. Loki imagined that as soon as it was quiet and Quill was alone, he'd let himself feel it. He supposed they had that much in common. Keeping their troubles bottled up inside was easier than talking about them.

Loki attempted to sing a few words before getting embarrassed.

"That was good!" Quill perked up immediately, "you can't stop now!"

Quill continued pestering Loki in an attempt to get him to sing, but Loki refused. He was about to give in though by the time they rolled into the driveway. Loki breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that he hadn't gone through with it. Quill's eyes darted to Thor's car. Loki supposed he was confirming that Thor had actually gone home. Loki would have been a bit worried if Thor had chosen to go somewhere else too. "Well, I suppose a thank you is in order for giving me a ride," Loki said.

"Nah," Quill said, "that isn't necessary. I know you wouldn't mean it."

"You're right about that," Loki said as he stepped out of the car.

"Loki... Don't push Thor too far, okay?" Quill asked. "He'd probably get it if you just talked to him. Especially now."

Loki shut the door without answering him. He'd made his way to the front door, before turning around and rushing back to Quill's car. When Quill rolled down the window, Loki leaned over to meet him face to face. "I'll see what I can do about Thor," Loki said, tucking a strand of hair shyly behind his ear. "So... try not to get too bummed out when you get home."

\---------------------

"See? Isn't it nice to be together as a family?" Thanos asked his two daughters. He was seated at the head of the dinner table with Gamora and Nebula to each of his sides. Gamora met his question with a glare. Thanos sighed. "You'll appreciate the things I do for you one day."

"Dinner is ready, sir," Ebony Maw, Thanos' butler, said as he entered the room and set a domed dish in front of Thanos. He then pulled the top off, revealing a juicy steak dinner with mashed potatoes and peas on the side. He then retrieved similar plates for Gamora and Nebula. 

"Thank you," Thanos said, effectively dismissing him. With a bow, Maw left the room, leaving the three of them on their own once more. Thanos began cutting into his steak as he said, "now, we need to talk about the plan."

"I have completed my part," Nebula said quickly, probably hoping for some form of praise. Gamora thought she should have known better by now. "The break in team I've assembled is ready to go the second we're ready for them."

"And you, Gamora?" Thanos asked. Nebula bristled in her chair.

"I... Yes," she said sadly, "I retrieved the code we needed from Odin's home." It was too easy, really. Dating Thor had given her nearly unlimited access to the house. The hard part was betraying Thor. Why did she have to go and actually fall for her mark? She hated this. Still, defying her father more than she already had wasn't an option. If she did, things would end up much worse for Thor and his family than they were already going to.

"Then we have everything we need," Thanos said, "we'll strike Odin's company a week from now." He specifically turned to Gamora as he added, "I'd use that time to get your affairs in order." That said, Thanos stabbed a bit of his steak with his fork and brought it to his lips. He chewed the piece for a full thirty seconds, savoring the taste to its full extent, and then swallowed. "Delicious."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait. Are College AU's not supposed to have a little bit of crime drama thrown in? Well, I missed that memo. (Sorry if you were expecting simple slice of life scenarios)


	6. Chapter 6

Quill had debated skipping physics class the next day, but he ended up going anyway. Yondu wasn't paying for his education so he could miss class and It's not like facing Thor was going to be made any less awkward by putting it off. So, defying the urge to turn around and go home, Quill took a deep breath and entered the classroom.

Thor wasn't there. There were still a few minutes before class started, but this was unusual for him. Thor usually got to class pretty early as far as Quill could tell. Quill took his usual seat and waited. Thor didn't show up. Neither did Tony for that matter. Quill checked his e-mail account on his phone to see if there had been any news about class being cancelled, but there was nothing. When ten more minutes had passed, people started packing away their things.

That's when Tony strode in. "Stop that," he said immediately, "I'm here. Class is still on."

A few of the students grumbled in response.

"Oh, get over it. You know you're paying for this, right?" Tony asked. He uncapped a dry erase marker and started writing on the white board. Quill tried to focus on taking notes, but his eyes kept glancing over to where Thor usually sat. It was probably his fault Thor wasn't here, right? Quill sighed and turned his attention back to the front of the classroom. Tony didn't look like he was doing too great either. Maybe he'd had another spat with his wife. Or was it his ex-wife at this point?

Geez. Why did everything have to suck right now?

\---------------------

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" Loki asked, peering into Thor's room from the doorway.

"I wasn't feeling well," Thor grumbled, face buried in his pillow. He hadn't left his bed all day. All he felt like doing was moping.

"Oh please," Loki said, "it's obvious you didn't go because you didn't want to run into Quill."

Thor didn't bother replying.

Loki sighed and then entered the room. He took a seat on the bed next to Thor and said, "look, I get that you feel betrayed right now."

"That's because I was betrayed," Thor growled.

"Right. Poor word choice on my part. You were betrayed, but Quill did feel bad about it."

"So what? That doesn't change anything!"

"Try to put yourself in Quill's shoes for a second, okay? Falling in love with someone isn't exactly intentional. I don't know how long he's been in love with her, but it was obvious that he was head over heels for her."

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew," Loki said, "I'm not blind like you. Then again, I guess you were off doing your own thing at the party. You never actually saw the way Quill acts around Gamora, did you?"

"No... I didn't."

"Well, it was pathetic. He looked like a lost puppy. Expecting him to back off when you left Gamora at the party alone wasn't exactly realistic. And, for the record, his version of making a move was saying something nice to her. He probably didn't even intend to go through with it in the first place."

"You seem to know a lot about this."

"Yeah. Because I watched them. I was very interested in seeing if he could steal your girlfriend. I even encouraged him to go after her once she'd run off."

Thor looked up from his pillow and glared at Loki for a moment before face planting right back into it.

"Really? That's the extent of your anger towards me?"

"I've learned to expect that sort of behavior from you."

"But not from Quill? Is that why you got so mad at him?"

"I'm not... mad. I'm sad," Thor muttered. "And, you're right. I haven't known Quill that long so I shouldn't be this upset over it, especially since he didn't actually steal Gamora from me. I just..."

"You like Quill."

Thor froze. After a moment of consideration, he tried to deny it. "N-no. I mean, I liked him as a friend, but--"

"You like Quill," Loki repeated, now convinced that he was on the right track. "That's why you've been clinging to him and forcing your way into his life."

"I, no," Thor frowned, "I'm in love with Gamora."

"No, you're just going through the motions with her. Your handsome, she's beautiful. Neither of you actually know the first thing about each other, but you go on cliche romantic dates to make up for that. The two of you make a perfect cinematic pair. You just think you're in love with her because you don't know what the real thing is like."

"And you do?" Thor snapped.

"Not romantic love," Loki admitted, "but... yes."

"Why are we even talking about all of this in the first place?"

"Well, in a surprising turn of events, I kind of like Quill," Loki said earnestly, "and I'd like the two of you to get along again."

"But you said he was an idiot."

"I did. And I stand by that assessment. I also still think it's a mistake to get involved with him," Loki said, "but... I guess I kind of get why you'd want to anyway."

Thor was embarrassed and he had a headache. This line of conversation was just confusing him. He couldn't possibly like Quill the way his brother seemed to think he did, right? Before he could come up with something to say to Loki, his phone rang. Picking it up, he saw that Gamora was the one calling. He shooed Loki out of his room as he answered it, glad to have an excuse not to question things further.

\---------------------

"Hey, Quill, do you have a second?" Scott asked as Quill was on his way out the diner's front door.

"Sure. What did you need?"

"Something came up and I need to trade shifts with someone," Scott said, "are you off on Thursday?"

"That's what? Six days from now?" Quill asked, doing the math in his head.

"Yeah," Scott said.

"Yeah, sure. I can trade with you," Quill said, "you have to babysit Cassie or something?"

"I wish. Nah. A friend of mine just offered me a quick, one time job. I figured the extra income would help."

"You know, if you're having trouble, you can ask May for some extra shifts."

"I know. It's just... She's already doing me a huge favor by letting me work here in the first place," Scott said. "I don't want to burden her anymore than I already have. Besides, I get to spend more time with my daughter this way."

"Fair enough. Just... If you're ever in trouble, you know you can come to us, alright?"

"Yeah, man. Of course."

The two spent a few more minutes hammering out the details before Quill got in his car and headed home. It was dark outside and the stars were out in full force. Honestly, Quill kind of liked driving home at night. Once you got away from the city, it was easy enough for him to pretend he was flying through space. Something about that was real comforting to him. Figuring he could use an extra moment to himself anyway, Quill decided to the long way home.

As he was crossing a bridge, Quill caught sight of a familiar figure sitting by the river. He pulled over immediately and got out of the car. "What are you doing out here?" Quill asked, approaching a very distraught looking Thor.

"That ceased being your business when we ceased being friends," Thor grumbled before taking a swig from a beer bottle. Apparently, he'd bought a six pack before coming down here. Quill noted that he'd barely started on the first. That was lucky at least. He didn't have to worry about a drunk Thor stumbling into the river and drowning-- as long as he could get Thor to go home.

"Did you walk here?" Quill asked, noticing that there was no sign of Thor's car or his motorcycle.

"I'm not talking to you, Quill."

"I don't need you too," Quill said, "I just need you to get home safely."

"I'm not drunk."

"You will be if you go through all of those. And that's exactly what you intend to do, right?"

Thor took another drink from his bottle.

"Look, I get that you're still mad at me. What I--"

"Gamora dumped me," Thor interjected.

"What? Why?"

Thor shrugged. "She didn't elaborate."

"Then maybe it has something to do with her dad," Quill thought aloud. "He might have said something that made her-- What are you doing?"

While Quill had been talking, Thor had gotten up from his seated position and walked over to where Quill was. He was now looming over him, eyes fixed on Quill's face. "Do you know how I felt when she dumped me?"

Quill hesitated, but then ventured a guess. After all, it seemed like Thor wouldn't back off until he did. "Bad, probably?"

Thor shook his head. "I felt indifferent. Can you believe that? How shitty is that?"

"Why would you..."

"I don't know," Thor said pitifully, "the only explanation I can think of is that maybe Loki was right."

"About what?"

Thor continued staring down Quill. The longer it lasted, the more awkward Quill felt. He was about to look away when Thor leaned in. Quill didn't realize what was happening until Thor put a hand on Quill's waist and pulled him closer. By then, it was too late to do anything. Thor's lips were on his.

Quill's heart raced as blood rushed to his head. He couldn't believe Thor was actually kissing him-- him, of all people! The one who'd just screwed him over! It had to be the alcohol, right? That in mind, Quill pushed Thor away. "Y-you're drunk," he stammered as he blushed a bright, vivid red, "so just get in the car, okay? I'll take you home."

"Fine," Thor sighed. He went and grabbed his alcohol and then headed past Quill to the car. As he did, he told Quill, "but I'm not drunk."


	7. Chapter 7

Quill was grateful that Thor didn't seem to be in the mood to talk on the ride home. Instead, he just leaned against the window and kept his gaze fixed outside, apparently deep in his own thoughts. Quill thought about turning on his music, but the serious atmosphere hanging over the two made that seem inappropriate. So, Quill endured the silence and tried not to think about this kiss.

Of course, the kiss was all Quill could think about. What the hell had Thor been thinking? It would all make sense if Thor was drunk but, if Quill was being honest with himself, he'd known that wasn't the case before Thor said it aloud. Still, he'd had hoped the man would latch onto the excuse so that Quill could pretend to brush the whole incident off. Instead, he'd gone and claimed the action! What was Quill supposed to make of that?

Maybe this was Thor's way of getting back at Quill for all he'd done. That theory seemed like a stretch though. If Thor really wanted to mess with him, there were better ways to do that, right? Of course, that only left the most improbable of Quill's theories left: that Thor actually liked him. No way. There was no way that could be it. It was more likely that Thor was just feeling lonely after being dumped by Gamora. Maybe anyone would have done in that moment and Quill just happened to be there.

Before Quill could make up his mind, he heard a rattling sound coming from his car. "Seriously?" Quill groaned, pulling to the side of the road as his car came to a final stop. Of course it had to break down when Thor was with him! As if things weren't awkward enough! Quill let out a deep sigh and banged his forehead on the steering wheel.

"Hey, it's alright," Thor said, sitting up in his chair and pulling out his phone, "I can call someone to get it taken care of."

"Hold on a minute."

"It's fine, Quill, really. I can cover the cost."

"First of all, there's no way I'd let you pay for something like that. Second, that's not why I'm saying hold on," Quill said. "Let me take a look at it first. It might be something I can deal with on my own."

"Really?" Thor asked curiously.

"Yeah. My dad is a mechanic," Quill explained as he opened his door, "he taught me a thing or two and I keep some stuff in the trunk of my car for this exact reason." Calling Quill's car a piece of crap was generous. It had been old when he got it and had continued to deteriorate with each passing year. It worked though and that's all Quill needed it to do at the end of the day.

"Is there something I can do to help?" Thor asked, getting out of the car as well as Quill headed for the trunk.

"Yeah," Quill said. He pulled out a flashlight and held it out to Thor. "Give me some light?"

"Sure thing," Thor said with a slight smile. Their fingers brushed against each other as Thor took the flashlight from Quill. That slight touch was enough to set Quill off. He blushed a bright red as he felt a strange, fluttery sensation in the pit of his stomach.

"L-let's see what's going on then," Quill said, clearing his throat as he tried to banish whatever the hell that reaction was just now. He popped the hood open and started looking for the problem. It didn't take him long to figure out what was wrong. The good news was that he could fix it himself. The bad news was that it wouldn't be a particularly quick fix. "Hmm... This is going to take a minute," Quill said, "you might want to call Loki and see if he'll give you a ride."

"It's fine. I'll stay," Thor said. There was no hesitation in his reply.

"You sure? I can't imagine watching me work will be a good time."

"You'd be surprised."

Quill was glad he was facing away from Thor as he was sure that his face was redder than ever. Thor probably didn't mean anything weird by it. Quill tried to convince himself he was just being overly sensitive to his words because of the kiss.

"Anyway, it's easier if someone is holding the flashlight for you, right?"

"It is," Quill admitted. He went quiet for a moment before adding, "thanks, Thor."

\---------------------

"I have never eaten fast food before," Thor admitted as they sat in the car and divied up various food items. Once Quill had finished up with his car, he'd decided that he was kind of hungry and figured he might as well invite Thor to join him as a thank you of sorts. Of course, it being the middle of the night had limited their options. So had Quill's wallet.

"Seriously? You are so spoiled," Quill smirked. "Well, you are not in for a treat."

"I'll be the judge of that," Thor laughed, "anyway, here is the kid's meal you requested."

"Nice," Quill said, taking the bag from him.

"Why a kid's meal though? I'm curious."

"Because they come with toys."

"I know that. I just thought that maybe you would be a little too grown up for something like that."

"Well, I am. Mostly. Unless they have a really cool series of toys available," Quill said, "But my dad loves goofy little things like this. I get them for him." Quill pulled the toy out of the bag, revealing a cute, googly eyed snake creature. It was a character from one of those Japanese games where you went around collecting monsters.

"That is actually really cute," Thor said as he eyed the snake. Of course, Quill was even cuter. The fact that he'd been collecting toys for his father this whole time touched Thor and made him wonder if he should try to be more thoughtful regarding his own family. "Maybe I should have gotten one too."

"Well," Quill started shyly, "if you want, you can have this one."

"But it's for your dad."

"Yeah, but I can just give him the next one I get. If you actually like this one in particular, you should take it. They switch out toys pretty often so there's no guarantee you'll get another chance at this one."

Thor stared the snake toy down for a moment. It was cute. Really, really cute. He did want it. He just felt bad taking it when he knew it was supposed to go to someone else. Then again, if he did take it, he'd have something from Quill. "If you're sure..."

"I'm sure," Quill said, placing the toy in Thor's palm.

"Thanks, Quill," Thor said with a smile. Tonight had actually turned out alright after all.

From there, Quill and Thor got into the food. Quill seemed to particularly enjoy watching Thor's reaction to everything he ended up putting in his mouth. Thor might have been embarrassed about it if he didn't know that Quill was only looking for his reaction to tasting fast food. There was nothing sexual about it to him, which Thor found a little disappointing. Quill really wasn't going to say anything about that kiss, huh? Thor frowned. He wanted to bring it up, but if Quill was avoiding the subject he got the sense that he should too.

"What's wrong?" Quill asked.

Thor snapped to attention. "What do you mean?"

"You looked upset."

"Ah," Thor said, "I guess it's just... Are we okay?" Quill went silent so Thor continued, "I don't want to be on bad terms with you."

"I don't want that either!" Quill piped up, "I want to be friends again. I know I messed up, but I..."

"Are our study sessions back on then?" Thor asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah. If that's what you want, then yes," Quill agreed quickly.

"That's what I want," Thor said. It wasn't all he wanted, of course, but it was a step in the right direction. This was good enough for now.

\---------------------

Sensing movement nearby, Tony stirred. Pepper? No. Even through an awful hangover he knew there was no way she'd ever be back in his bed. He groggily opened his eyes in time to see a pale figure with shoulder length black hair pull a plain black t-shirt over her torso. Oh boy. Here we go again, he thought. Tony prayed that this woman wasn't the clingy type. Tony had had problems with that sort of thing in the past.

"Morning," Tony mumbled as he sat up in bed. The woman grunted in acknowledgement as she went looking for her pants. "Um, I'm sorry. I'm just going to be blunt. I got pretty wasted last night and I do not remember your name."

"I never gave it to you in the first place," she answered.

Okay. Tony wasn't sure what to make of that. He supposed he should try to fix that situation. "I'm--"

"Tony Stark. Head of Stark Industries. Genius, playboy, billionaire, and philanthropist," she listed, "anyone who has been paying attention at all knows who you are."

"Fair enough. But I don't know who you are."

"A one night stand, no strings attached," she said, "and I'd like to keep it that way." She grabbed her last article of clothing, a black leather jacket, off the floor and put it on.

"So you're not even going to stay for breakfast?"

She gave him an indifferent look for a moment before saying, "I'll let myself out." And she did just that.

That was... interesting. None of Tony's previous partners had ever acted like that. They'd usually want him to stay in bed and cuddle with them. In fairness, Tony knew that was because they were interested in his money. Seducing someone like Tony would have set them up for life. Pepper was the only one who'd wanted him for him. And he'd blown that. Why couldn't he have just said no to that cute blond? This new woman didn't seem to be interested in his money, but she hadn't seemed to be interested in Tony either. 

That's probably why he ended up wanting to know more about her. Tony called up Jarvis and had him run a search on her. He had to admit that it was a little bit stalkerish, but hey, he had a right to know if he had to worry about her stealing stuff on her way out the door, right?

It didn't take take Jarvis a long time to come up with a name. "The woman's name is Jessica Jones, sir. She works as a private investigator."

A private investigator, huh? Tony wondered if he should be worried about that.

\---------------------

Gamora stared at her phone. She'd thought that he would be mad at her. What she didn't expect was that he wouldn't send her a single message asking her why she'd broken up with him. That meant that he didn't care enough to try and salvage the relationship, didn't it? It was for the best, really. She couldn't have taken him back no matter how much she wanted to. It was too risky to remain involved with him now that her father's plan was almost complete. Thanos would just use her relationship with Thor to control her. And he already had enough control over her. Still, even knowing all of that, Thor's reaction- or rather, lack there of- hurt.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" Nebula asked, leaning against the door frame. "Father gives you every opportunity to prove yourself and you're over here pining over some loser that didn't even realize you were playing him all along."

Gamora gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay calm. Her original instinct had been to lash out at her sister, but they'd played out that scenario so many times before. Gamora was tired of it. "What do you want?" She asked instead, hoping to cut the conversation short.

"Dad wanted you to meet the team I assembled," Nebula said, "since we'll be working alongside them."

"Fine," Gamora said, putting her phone away. "Lead the way."

Nebula led Gamora to the mansion's entryway. There, three figures were waiting for them. One, Gamora recognized immediately.

"Ah, hi Gamora," Scott said with a small wave.

Nebula's eyes darted between the two suspiciously as Gamora sighed. "Really?"

He shrugged sheepishly. "It pays the bills. Besides, the guy we're hitting isn't exactly a saint, right?"

No, he wasn't. Odin had definitely been responsible for some horrible things if their employer had been telling the truth. Still, Gamora was certain that his sons didn't deserve what was going to happen.

"Anyway, my name is Scott. You know, in case you didn't know that."

"I knew that," Gamora confirmed. "I just hope you're a better thief than you are a waiter."

"Hey," Scott groaned.

"Oh, he's good," the second member of the team, a talking raccoon of all things, vouched, "best partner I've ever had-- besides Groot here."

"I am Groot," the small tree like entity said. It was cute, but Gamora didn't see how it would be useful.

"You hired a waiter, a tree, and a raccoon?" Gamora asked, her question pointed towards Nebula.

"I'm not a raccoon," the raccoon snarled, "and we're the best damn team you're ever going to have. So enough with the attitude, you green whore."

Gamora's eyes went wide as Nebula snickered. While Gamora was initially offended by the comment, Nebula's reaction to it tore her attention away from it. Was her sister seriously laughing? They'd been children the last time Gamora had heard her sister laugh.

"What Rocket means is, we're grateful for the job and are looking forward to working with you," Scott interjected, trying to smooth things over.

Gamora groaned and let the raccoon's comment slide. Instead, she rounded on Scott. "You better not fuck this up," she said.

"Yes, ma'am," Scott said with a gulp.


	8. Chapter 8

Loki groaned, rubbing his temples as he tried to process all of the information Thor had just dumped on him. He supposed it was his fault for asking Thor where he'd been last night. Still, how could Thor have gotten up to so much in so little time? Loki reminded himself to thank Quill for taking care of his brother the next time he saw him before fully focusing on the most alarming detail of the story-- that kiss! "You are a complete idiot."

"I know," Thor admitted with a frown, "that's why I need your help."

Any hint of irritation from Loki vanished with those words. Thor was actually being humble for once. And, even better, he was acknowledging that Loki was someone he thought he could depend on. "Obviously," Loki said, his tone softening, "what the hell were you thinking just kissing Quill like that?"

"I thought that I'd be able to sort out my feelings for him if I kissed him."

"So, this is basically my fault for putting that idea in your head?" Loki asked with a sigh.

"You were right though," Thor said quickly, "I like Quill. I'm just not sure what to do about it."

"Wait. Hold on. Is that what you want help with?"

Thor nodded.

"I can't help you with something like that!" Loki exclaimed, "I have zero relationship experience, remember? I've never gone on a date in my entire life! You're the one that's always hooking up with people! You should be able to figure it out yourself!"

"Loki," Thor said, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders, "if you use your talents to help me, I'll use mine to help you. We'll get you a date and--"

"I don't want a date!"

"Are you sure?" Thor asked, "because I think it'd be pretty easy to find some people who would be interested."

"I am very sure. So sure. I have never been so sure of anything in my life."

"Well, the offer is on the table if you change your mind."

"I won't."

"Okay then," Thor said, finally letting up. "But I still think that you can help me. Quill is different from other people I've asked out. I get the feeling if I did my usual routine he'd reject me. I don't want to mess this up. That's why I thought that your insight would be helpful. Even if you don't have any actual relationship experience, you do know how to read people."

"Fair," Loki said, crossing his arms. 

"So, what do you think? From what I've told you, do you think I have a chance?"

Loki sighed and then took a few minutes to consider everything his brother had said earlier. Once he'd come up with his answer, he started off with a warning. "Look, this is all speculation so take what I say with a grain of salt, okay?"

Thor nodded. Loki wasn't sure he really understood.

"I think that if he was sure that he didn't like you, he would have been more straightforward about rejecting you. He would have turned you down with an apology to prevent you from trying anything like that in the future," Loki said, "but that doesn't mean that Quill will ultimately return your affection."

"You think he'll decide he isn't interested?"

"No. I think he'll decide that it's easier to default to what he knows. And that is that he likes Gamora. As long as she remains a possibility, I think he'll continue obsessing over her and precluding other options."

Thor sighed. Mentioning Gamora made him feel a bit guilty. He really should talk with her and settle things properly. He at least needed to make sure she was okay. Quill had been trying to tell him that something might be wrong and that could be the reason she'd broken up with him. While he didn't intend to get back together with her, that didn't mean he didn't care about her. Even if she was the obstacle between him and Quill. "What can I do about that?"

"Hm. Honestly..." Loki did not like what his brain was telling him. The advice he was about to give Thor would either work or make Quill despise his brother. "Don't let him dismiss you. Any time he gets comfortable, do something blatant that won't let him forget that you are interested in him. Force him to continue thinking about you." Thor looked more serious than Loki had ever seen him before. It was clear that he was taking the advice to heart. That's why Loki tacked on a, "just make sure you don't take it too far. For example, kissing him out of the blue like you did before, that's probably taking it too far. There are things that can be forgiven and things that can't."

\---------------------

Gamora sat at her usual booth in the diner. It had been awhile. The familiar sounds and scents all around felt almost nostalgic. It had probably been a bad decision to meet Thor here, but it had been the first place that'd come to mind when he asked her. Quill didn't appear to be working today so that was lucky. It was just Scott and Darcy.

Thor showed up a few minutes later and joined her at her booth. "Hey," he said, "I'm sorry I didn't contact you earlier. I had some things I needed to sort out first."

"I understand," Gamora said. Honestly, she was just glad he'd called. That meant he still cared at least a little, right? "It must have come as a bit of a shock."

"It did. But I think it's for the best."

That last bit felt like a slap to the face to Gamora. "You do?" Gamora asked, head buzzing with new and troubled thoughts.

"Yeah," Thor nodded. "I think I convinced myself that I love you when that wasn't actually the case. I mean, you're wonderful and fun and beautiful. I enjoyed every minute that I spent with you. That's why I thought it was the same thing. I only recently realized that our relationship was actually lacking something. A sort of... magnetic pull? That's probably not a great way to put it. Still, that's probably why you dumped me, huh? Because you could feel that too."

Gamora chewed her bottom lip. Was that how Thor really felt? Hearing those words was worse than not hearing from him at all. At least then she'd have been able to pretend that he'd truly loved her at one point. "No," she said quietly, "that wasn't it."

"Then Quill was right? It had something to do with your dad?"

"What?" Gamora's eyes went wide. She supposed that she'd known that Quill knew Thor. She just didn't realize that they were on good enough terms for Quill to spill her secrets to him. Gamora supposed she'd never told him not to, but she felt that he should have known better. "Quill doesn't know what he's talking about," Gamora said angrily.

"Then everything is fine at home? Even if we're not dating anymore, you know I'd help you out if you were in trouble, right?"

That calmed Gamora down a little. She leaned back in her seat and let out a sigh. "Yeah. I know. And everything is fine," she lied, "my dad and I don't always get along, but I think that's the same for most families."

"I can understand that," Thor smiled, "Loki and I have our fair share of issues. Don't even get me started on Hela. Quill seems to get along really well with his family though so that's probably why he overreacted."

The way Thor lit up when he mentioned Quill in particular annoyed Gamora. "Anyway, that's not why I broke up with you."

"Then why did you?"

Gamora mentally kicked herself. She probably could have avoided giving him an answer if she hadn't brought it up again. Now she actually had to come up with something. "Well, I dumped you because," Gamora hesitated, stalling for time to come up with an excuse.

"More coffee?" Scott interrupted as he came over to the table with a coffee pot in hand.

An idea clicked in Gamora's head. She still held out hope that what Thor had said earlier was just his way of trying to convince himself that their break up was fine when it wasn't. If that was the case then she could probably find out if she said, "because I met someone I cared about more. I needed to end things between us so I could be with my new boyfriend, Scott."

"Eh?" Scott asked, looking alarmed. Gamora gave him a look that said play along. Scott returned a look that asked, are you crazy?

"Scott?" Thor asked curiously.

Gamora insisted with her eyes until Scott gave in. He sighed and said, "me. I'm Scott. And I... really love Gamora. Yup. Way more than you ever could." Gamora wished he'd delivered the lines with more conviction. Still, Thor didn't seem to question it. Neither did Darcy who hovered in the background with her hands clasped over her mouth in shock.

"That's great," Thor said earnestly, "I'm glad you've found someone you love."

That wasn't the reaction Gamora was hoping for. It was the exact opposite, really. He wasn't supposed to just be okay with it. He should have been upset. Angry even. But no. He really had moved on. And that meant that he'd never really loved her in the first place. Gamora felt numb. Her emotions were too confusing to her right now so her brain had settled for feeling nothing at all.

"Anyway, I should get going," Thor said, getting up. "Let's keep in touch, alright, Gamora?"

"Yeah," Gamora managed. Scott stared at her with a concerned expression on his face. She hardly noticed since she was busy watching Thor leave. That was it then. It was really over. She didn't even have the right to complain. She'd done this to herself. "No thank you, Scott. On the coffee, I mean," Gamora said, getting up. Her hands trembled as opened her wallet. She needed to leave before she lost her composure. If she didn't, she'd...

Scott put the coffee pot down on the table and then pulled Gamora into a hug. That's what did it. Instead of pushing down her emotions the way she'd learned from her father, she let them all rise to the surface. She cried. And it wasn't the subtle, elegant crying that TV shows liked to depict. It was the messy, unflattering sort of crying that babies practiced on a regular basis. Through it all, Scott just held her close.

\---------------------  
Quill and Peter headed over to Thor and Loki's house for the next study session. When they reached the house, Peter's eyes went wide. "Their house is so huge," he said in awe.

"I know, right?" Quill said as he rang the doorbell. "It's pretty insane. Like, what do you do with all that room anyway?"

"Personally, I'd include a lab for starters."

"Yeah. You would, wouldn't you?"

Peter was about to respond when they both felt a pair of eyes staring at them from behind. Turning towards the source, the two of them saw a black, wolf-like dog with green eyes. Quill wasn't an expert on dog behavior, but the dog's stance seemed a little too aggressive for his liking.

"Don't mind Fenris," a woman with long dark hair said, walking up to the dog's side. "He's harmless, when he feels like it."

"Well, I hope he feels like being harmless right now," Peter said, eyes fixed on Fenris.

The woman chuckled.

"You're the older sister?" Quill asked, recalling what Loki had told him.

"I am," she said with a smile, "I'm surprised you know that though. My family members usually like to forget that I exist. I don't suppose you learned my name as well?"

"No. Sorry."

"A pity," she said, brushing it off, "my name is Hela." She took a few steps forward and tilted Quill's chin upward with her hand. "And who are you?"

"My name is Peter, but I go by my last name, Quill," Quill said.

"My name is also Peter and I actually go by Peter," Peter said, introducing himself.

"Interesting," Hela said with a smile. "Now, what--"

The front door opened, revealing Thor and Loki. Their attention was immediately drawn to Hela. A tense silence took over for a moment as the two brothers stared down their older sister. "It's been a long time," Thor finally said with a slight smile, attempting an offer of peace.

"It has," Hela said with a smile of her own, "the two of you are so big now."

Thor opened his arms and offered her a hug. Hela took him up on the offer. Loki, on the other hand, just eyed his sister suspiciously. Quill wasn't sure what to make of that. Not yet, anyway.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an fyi for all my awesome readers: I'll be going on vacation with my family in a couple of days and will probably be too busy to update this story for a couple of weeks. I'll try and get another chapter up as soon as I get back, but you'll just have to find a way to cope until then. Maybe go write your own Thor/Quill stories so I can read them when I get back. I don't know. Just survive somehow.

After a steady hour of studying, the group decided to take a break. It was then that Quill decided to bring up the subject of Thor and Loki's sister. "So... Hela," he started, "she's interesting."

"It would be in your best interest to associate with her as little as possible," Loki said bluntly.

"I want to believe she's changed, but I agree," Thor sighed. Quill noted he'd been uncharacteristically serious in the delivery of that line. He knew Hela had been to jail before. What he didn't know was why. Peter saved him from having to ask himself.

"Why?" Peter asked. "I mean, she was a little scary, but she didn't seem all that bad."

"She's been in prison for five years for assault," Loki explained, "she got the minimum sentence, but... Our dad is rich. I imagine he made some deals under the table to get her that because, well, she overdid it. To the point where I think that sort of violence is familiar to her. I don't have any proof of that but, for my sake and Thor's, please stay as far away from her as you can."

"O-oh," Peter said, "no wonder things were so awkward when you met up with her."

"Yeah. I wasn't sure how I should react," Thor admitted, "but she is our sister. And she'll need our support if she really wants to change. I'm trying to have a little faith in her."

"I just hope she doesn't screw you over for that later," Loki sighed. "Anyway, we've talked enough about Hela. Let's get back to work."

\---------------------

"Okay. One last time so we're all clear," Gamora said in a hushed voice as her, Nebula, Rocket, Groot, and Scott stood outside the Asgard Institute. "None of this means anything if we're caught or if we leave behind any evidence that things were tampered with. That means we need to be cautious and--"

"Yeah, yeah. We got it the first seven times," Rocket interrupted. "Can we get this started already?"

"I agree," Nebula said, "we're just wasting time at this point."

Gamora grumbled in response. Did these guys really understand how important it was to not fuck this up? This wasn't an ordinary break in where there was a little leeway for mistakes. Everything had to be perfect.

"We know it's important, Gamora," Scott said, breaking through her thoughts. "And we've got this. You just have to trust us a little."

"Fine," she sighed. Normally she wouldn't relent so easily, but Scott was in her good graces right now. "Let's just get this over with."

"I'm up first," Nebula said, standing.

"Remember to watch out for security cameras."

"Yes, mom," Nebula rolled her eyes. "How much of an amateur do you think I am?" She didn't wait for the answer. Instead, Nebula carefully started towards the security guard. Once she was in position, she threw a rock to get the security guard's attention. He looked up from behind his desk curiously. Nebula proceeded to make some more noise until the guard decided he needed to get up to investigate. Once he left the security camera's sight, Rocket looped the footage and sent in Groot. This was the most precarious part of the plan as they weren't entirely sure that he understood his instructions. Still, he was the smallest and least noticeable so it made the most sense to send him. Gamora, Rocket, and Scott all held their breath as they watched him head towards the security guard's booth.

"Come on, buddy. You can do this," Scott mumbled.

"He's going to do fine," Rocket said, "I mean, how hard is it to slip some sleeping powder into the man's coffee?"

"I'm just worried he might dump the bag in too."

"Yeah, yeah. I can see him maybe doing something like that," Rocket sighed. "Well, we'll deal with that if it happens."

Gamora may have been having a small panic attack. Luckily, the little guy managed to pull off his mission successfully. He slipped the powder into the drink and then wandered back over to them, plastic bag in hand.

"You did so good, buddy!" Scott said, crouching down and offering his hand for a high five.

"I am Groot!" Groot said happily, slapping Scott's hand.

"What Scott said," Rocket said, focused on returning the security camera footage to normal. "Now we just have to wait until the security guard comes back and takes a drink."

Nebula regrouped with the others shortly afterward and the security guard was eventually forced to give up on his search. He dismissed it as some sort of animal and headed back to his station. It took a several more minutes, but eventually he drank enough of his coffee. The sleeping effect wasn't instant as the idea was to make it look as natural as possible for the security cameras. That meant they had a little bit of time before the next phase of the plan.

"So, if this worked the way we wanted it to, it should look like the security guard left his station for a second to investigate something and then returned only to fall asleep a short while later," Gamora said.

"That's exactly what it will look like," Rocket said, "and it should be the narrative the security guard ends up believing too."

"I just hope that's inconspicuous enough," Gamora said, chewing her thumb nail worriedly.

"The security guard is out," Scott said, "it's time to move on to the next phase of our plan."

"I'm on it," Rocket said, looping the new footage of the guard sleeping. "And done! Am I good or am I good?"

"Oh, you're not just good. You're the best," Scott said, flashing him a thumbs up.

"Now I remember why I keep you around."

"Stop flirting and get a room already," Nebula interjected, rolling her eyes.

Rocket snorted. "Yeah, no. Scott is great and all, but Groot is already more kid than I can handle. I don't need him and his daughter adding to my stress level."

"You have a daughter?" Gamora asked, the question popping out of her mouth before she'd even had time to consider if it was something she should ask.

"I do, but is that really what we should be getting into, right now?" Scott asked.

Right. They were on a mission. It's not like Gamora actually cared about the answer anyway, right? So what if he had a daughter? It's not like that affected her. Did that mean Scott was married though? Gamora stopped that thought there. It didn't matter. Why was she wasting any time thinking about that in the first place? Gamora shook her head and then headed down to the security gate. With a gloved hand, she input the code she'd gotten from Odin's home. It worked like a charm and the gate opened.

"Well, so far so good," Scott said, "now we just need to get to the safe."

That part was easy. As part of the deal they'd arranged with their employer-- or as Thanos liked to say, business partner-- they'd been given a map of the building's layout. That was something Gamora could have probably stolen herself, but the person who'd given them their copy had written additional notes and marked the location of the security cameras. The information was dated, but it still allowed them to move more quickly than they would have been able to otherwise. Eventually, they reached a fork in the hallway.

"Do you three remember where you're going?" Gamora asked Nebula, Groot, and Rocket.

"Yeah. Down that way to the last room on the left," Rocket said.

"We've got it. You just worry about completing your half of the mission," Nebula added. 

Gamora nodded and watched them for a moment as they headed down the hall. They were going to the security room to erase traces of them using the passcode. That left Scott and Gamora to deal with the safe. The pair went in the opposite direction and used the passcode one last time to get into the room they were looking for, Odin's office. Gamora and Scott ignored most of the furnishings, only paying attention to a large safe in the back.

"Looks like they upgraded safes since the last time our friend was here," Scott commented.

"Is that a problem?"

"No. It'll take me an extra minute, but that's all."

"Okay. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just keep me company."

"Don't you need it to be quiet so you can concentrate or something?"

"Not for this kind of lock. Though, you probably should avoid speaking loudly in case anyone is wandering around outside."

"Fair point," Gamora said, lowering the volume of her voice a little even though she hadn't been overly loud in the first place. "I guess if we're talking, there is something I wanted to say to you." Gamora tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she worked up the nerve to say it. "You know, back at the diner..."

"Ah, yeah. That. Sorry if I overstepped."

"Y-you didn't. Even if I ended up bawling in front of everyone and embarrassing myself, I felt a lot better afterward. If you hadn't done that, I would have just bottled it up and continued being an emotional wreck. So, thank you. Also, I apologize."

"For what?"

"I've been kind of mean to you, haven't I?"

"Well, you may have said some very untrue things like me being a bad waiter, but I know that was just because you were stressed. I didn't take it personally."

"Still, I should have been nicer."

"It's fine, really. I get more crap from Rocket and he's my friend."

"I'm not your friend, huh?" Gamora asked teasingly. She was kind of curious to see how he'd react to a question like that.

"I-I didn't mean it like that," Scott muttered. Gamora noted that he was blushing slightly. It made her a little happy. "It's just... I don't know."

"We haven't known each other that long," Gamora finished for him.

"It's not just that," Scott said. 

Gamora was about to ask what he meant by that, but at that moment, the safe opened. "You did it," she said excitedly.

"Of course I did," Scott smiled, "Rocket told you I was good."

"So what is it that you were trying to take?" Scott asked, looking over the safe's contents. There wasn't any money in the safe. Just a bunch of documents Scott assumed were business related.

"We're not actually taking anything," Gamora said, pulling her backpack off her back. She pulled out a file of documents that looked identical to the ones already inside the safe. "We're leaving something."

\---------------------

Upon hearing that Quill had another evening shift the next day, Thor decided to pay him a visit and dragged Loki along as well. Loki complained all the way, but Thor noticed that his brother never put up any real resistance. That told Thor that Loki actually wanted to go-- at least, a little. 

"You know the food is going to be terrible, right?" Loki asked when they stepped into the diner.

"It might not be that bad," Thor said. "My first experience with fast food was kind of nice."

"Oh please. It was only pleasant because it was basically your first date with Quill and you know it."

Loki jumped when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. When he turned, he saw Quill standing their, blushing slightly at Loki's words. "Table for two?" Quill asked, brushing off everything he'd overheard.

"Hey, Quill," Thor grinned, "and yes. It's just the two of us."

"Right this way then," Quill smiled back, "and it's good to see you two as well. Even if it's completely weird serving you at my workplace."

Thor wanted to sit on the stools so Quill sat the two of them at the counter. Then, he gave them a minute to look over the menu as he fetched their drinks. "Should I tell him he looks good in his uniform?" Thor asked Loki in a hushed whisper, "I think I'm going to tell him he looks good in his uniform."

"I think you should just calm down and be a normal person," Loki said, flicking a sugar packet at Thor's arm, "this is his workplace. Show some decency and restrain yourself."

Thor responded by pouting.

"Alright, here we go," Quill said, placing their drinks in front of them, "did you figure out what you wanted?"

"You look very nice in your uniform, by the way," Thor said automatically. Loki was lucky he hadn't gotten to his drink yet or he would have done a spit take.

"What he means is that we both want the deluxe cheeseburger."

"Got it. I'll go put that in right away." With that, Quill left in a flustered hurry.

"What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry! It just sort of came out."

"You are a mess, you know that?" Loki asked. "I really don't know how you've been so successful in relationships up to this point."

"That's the problem! This is the kind of stuff that usually works for me," Thor says, "I don't know how to be subtle."

"Subtle, you say?" a waitress with long brown hair and glasses asked, revealing herself from behind the counter. "Maybe I can help you with that."

"No. No, we are not accepting help from someone this suspicious," Loki said.

"Please magical fairy godmother, I require your aid," Thor responded dramatically, ignoring Loki completely.

"I'm Darcy, but I suppose fairy godmother works too," Darcy shrugged, "anyway, I can probably put in a good word for you with Quill."

"And why would you do that?" Loki asked suspiciously, "what is in it for you?"

"Well, Quill needs to get over Gamora real fast," Darcy said, "because once he finds out she's dating Scott all hell will break lose! Our dynamic trio will be destroyed and I can not have that! Oh, but if you make Quill cry the way you made Gamora cry, I will end you."

"I made Gamora cry?" Thor asked, a frown forming on his face.

"Oh yeah. It was pretty horrible," Darcy said. Darcy's eyes darted to the kitchen door, where Quill was coming from. "I've got to bail now, but don't worry! I've got your back!" That said, she jogged out of sight in time to avoid Quill.

What she'd said bothered Thor though. He thought he'd parted with Gamora on good terms. But she'd cried? Why would she cry? It had to be because of him, but what did he say? Damn. He wished he was better at reading people.

\---------------------

Thor was still deep in thought on the drive home. Loki was too, but Thor wasn't sure it was for the same reasons. Still, whatever their own personal thoughts were, they certainly lined up when Thor reached the driveway to their house.

Several police cars were parked outside of the house, lights flashing. The two of them immediately got out of the car and approached the scene. "What happened?" Thor asked an Asian woman with long black hair tied up in a pony tail.

"Sir, I need you to stand back," she said. Just then, a group of policemen came from the front door, escorting Odin to the nearest car in handcuffs.

"That's our dad," Thor said desperately, "you have to tell us what's going on."

"You two are the sons?" another woman, dark skinned with curly black hair and what appeared to be a prosthetic arm, asked.

"That's right," Loki piped up. "We have the right to know what's going on."

"Yeah, well, we're in the process of figuring that out ourselves," she said, "I'm Misty Knight and this is my partner, Colleen Wing. We're going to need to take you back to the station to answer some questions."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back from vacation so updates should be back to normal! Hopefully the wait wasn't too torturous.

Quill was in the middle of dinner with his family the following day when the news about Thor's dad came on. There weren't many details to go on yet, but the report did say that Odin was now in police custody. "I need to make a call," Quill said, immediately getting up from the table and heading for the hallway. He heard May question what was going on as he dialed Thor's number. Luckily, Peter knew enough to tell her that Quill was checking up on Thor.

Thor didn't pick up right away. Quill's first call went to voicemail. He'd switched tactics and started typing out a message when Thor called him back. "Quill?" Thor asked when Quill answered the phone.

"Thor! Hey, man! Um, I just saw the news," Quill said, "are you alright? Ugh, sorry. That's a terrible question. Of course you aren't alright. I just... What can I do?"

"I don't know," Thor said, "honestly, I'm kind of at a loss here."

"Right. I guess that's a reasonable response," Quill said. A moment of awkward silence passed between them. Quill wanted to help, but he wasn't sure there was anything he could do besides be there for Thor. That thought led to another: even if all he could do was hear Thor out, he could go a step further and do that in person. "Where are you now? Would it help if I went there?"

"It wouldn't be a bother?"

"No. Not at all."

Thor hesitated for a moment before saying, "then yeah. I'd like to see you."

"Alright. Where am I going?"

"You know where you found me the night your car broke down?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Quill said, heading to his room. He hung up the phone and then grabbed his jacket. He threw his wallet and his car keys in his pockets and then headed to the front door. "I've got to go. I'm sorry about dinner."

"Don't worry about it," May replied, "I'll put it away so you can heat it up when you get back. Just make sure your friend is okay. And drive safely."

"Thanks, mom," Quill said, "and I will."

\---------------------

Quill parked his car on the side of the road behind Thor's. When he got out and circled around the front of his vehicle, he noticed that there was a pile of luggage in the backseat of Thor's car. Was Thor going somewhere? Quill tossed the thought aside. It'd be better to ask Thor what was going on directly instead of speculating.

"I see you've dragged Quill into this mess," Loki said as Quill approached the two of them.

"I was the one that offered," Quill intervened on Thor's behalf. "What's up with all the stuff in the back seat of your car?"

"Oh, that. That is a fun story," Loki growled. There was no mistaking the fact that he was annoyed with the whole situation.

"Well," Thor started with a sigh, "on top of everything else, we're homeless at the moment."

"What?" Quill asked, "how did that happen?"

"That's what I would like to know!" Loki exclaimed. "How did Hela suddenly get the right to kick us out of OUR house?"

"Okay, I'm going to need you two to back up and explain a few things," Quill said, "maybe start from the beginning?"

"I still don't really get everything, but I'll tell you what we know," Thor said, "last night, we came home after visiting you at the diner and found police cars outside our house. They took our father into custody and took us down to the station for questioning. Loki and I had no idea what was going on. They figured that out pretty fast and let us off the hook. They talked to Hela for a long time though. She seemed to know more about it than us which I guess makes sense since apparently this all has something to do with dad's business dealings. Apparently, his practices haven't been as above board as he led us to believe."

"He wouldn't even defend himself when we saw him," Loki frowned. As much as he claimed to hate his old man, Quill got the sense that Loki was genuinely upset that Odin was in his current position. "He just accepted his arrest like it was a long time coming."

"The police found some documents that incriminate him. I don't know if they're real or fake at this point," Thor frowned, "but yeah... Father isn't fighting the charges at all."

"How does Hela factor into this?" Quill asked.

"Before Hela was arrested she was set to take over the company. Dad trained her himself. That means she had a lot of information to offer the police. After spending five years in jail, I imagine she was quick to cooperate too," Thor said grimly.

"Do you want to tell him about the other thing or should I?" Loki asked. Thor went silent, so Loki took over. "After Hela went to prison, we sort of assumed that Odin would have Thor take over the company instead. Dad had different ideas though. Apparently, he still intended to have Hela take over. The board gave her control over the company this afternoon. She was also given ownership of all of our father's owned properties, including the house. The first thing Hela did with that ownership was kick us out."

"She just gets the house? Is that legal?" Quill asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know. We need to get a lawyer," Loki sighed, "but that's actually one of the lower items on our to do list."

"At least she let mother stay," Thor spoke up, "I was a bit surprised since they aren't blood related, but Frigga was the only one who visited Hela while she was in jail. We probably should have made more of an effort too..."

"Screw that. Our sister is a bitch."

"Okay. So, that animosity aside, what are your short term plans?" Quill said, refocusing the conversation. Now that he had the bigger picture, they needed to figure out what the first step was.

"We still have money," Thor said, "so we'll probably get a hotel for the time being."

"But our funds aren't limitless. We don't know how long we're going to be in this situation. Also, good lawyers aren't cheap. And if we want to launch any sort of investigation that will be another chunk of change," Loki listed, "And that doesn't even factor in daily expenses. What does food even cost? How much do we have to budget for things like that?"

Quill clearly could not leave them to their own devices. He did have an idea, but he'd have to run it by Yondu and May first. "Give me a minute," Quill said, pulling off to the side and making a phone call.

"Hey, kid. What's happening?" Yondu asked, answering the phone, "your friend alright?"

"About that," Quill started, "would it be okay if him and his brother crashed with us for awhile?"

"It's fine with me, but I'll have to run it by May."

"They're welcome to stay with us," May shouted from somewhere in the background. Apparently she was close enough to hear Quill's side of the conversation. "It'll be cramped, but we'll manage."

"Thanks guys," Quill said, "I'll bring them by in a bit. I love you both." Quill ended the call and walked back over to Loki and Thor who were busy bickering over what they should do. "Hey," Quill said, getting their attention, "you two can stay with me. I just got permission from my parents."

"Really?" Thor asked, perking up.

Loki didn't seem as enthused. He wore a frown as he said, "but your house is so small."

"You can always spend money on a hotel instead," Quill said, crossing his arms.

"Beggars can't be choosers," Loki sighed, "I don't suppose you have any guest rooms?"

"We don't. Peter and I will have to share our rooms."

"Isn't that nice? Well, Thor, looks like you're stuck with Quill," Loki said, quickly making the rooming arrangements before anyone could argue. "I'll share with Peter."

Quill and Thor exchanged a startled glance before looking away from each other and blushing. Quill hadn't been thinking about their current relationship when he made the offer. Still, even if he factored it in, he wouldn't have done anything differently. Thor needed help. At the end of the day, that's all that mattered.

\---------------------

"Hey, Quill? You still awake?" Thor asked quietly. He was laid out on a sleeping bag on Quill's floor. It wasn't the most comfortable sleeping set up in the world, but Thor seemed to be tolerating it well enough.

"Yeah. I'm still awake," Quill answered, "what's up?"

"Thank you for taking us in. I know it's not exactly convenient."

"Thank Yondu and May," Quill said, "they're the ones that made the final decision."

"I plan to. I'll be sure to thank Peter as well. Rooming with my brother... I don't imagine it'll be a pleasant experience."

"Yeah. He's probably complaining right now," Quill chuckled, "then again, I think he actually does try to behave around Peter. Maybe it's not so bad over there after all."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Thor responded with a laugh of his own. He hesitated for a moment and then asked the question that was on his mind. "Would you have preferred rooming with Loki?"

"N-not really. Why?"

"Well... I just figured that I probably make you nervous. After what I did, I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to be alone with me."

"You're talking about that kiss?"

"Yeah."

Quill didn't respond.

"I won't do anything like that again," Thor said seriously, "so you don't have to worry."

After another long period of silence, Quill quietly said, "I... didn't hate it."

Thor sat up suddenly to try and get a look at Quill's face. Quill immediately covered it with a pillow even though the room's darkness would have probably been enough to hide his expression on its own. "Do you mean that?"

"Yes? B-but don't get the wrong idea! That doesn't mean I want to do it again or anything! I just... I don't know. I never thought you'd do something like that!"

"Quill, I like you. I want to do that sort of thing with you all of the time," Thor confessed earnestly. If Loki were here, he'd definitely be trying to shut Thor up right about now. Thor knew that, but even so, he couldn't stop himself. "I said I wouldn't do anything and I won't. Not without your permission. I give you permission to do whatever you'd like with me though."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means whatever you want it to."

Quill was very happy that his face was buried in his pillow. He wasn't sure what expression he was making, but he was sure it was an embarrassing one.

"Good night, Quill."

Good night? Good night?! Thor was just going to follow up the conversation like that? How was Quill supposed to fall asleep after all of that? Now he was going to be up all night thinking weird thoughts and it was all Thor's fault! Despite his inner turmoil, Quill tried to play it cool when he responded. "Night, Thor."

Seriously though! What the fuck was wrong with this guy?

\---------------------

Quill had carpooled with Thor so the two of them arrived at their physics class at the same time the next day. Thor seemed well rested and ready to take on the day. Quill, on the other hand, had to stifle a yawn. He hadn't gotten much sleep after last night's conversation. Luckily, he was spared thinking about it for the time being since Thor's attention had turned to trying to solve his family's problems. "Getting a lawyer should be easy enough. They advertise their services all the time," Thor said, "private investigators on the other hand..."

"You have a point. It's not like you can find a commercial for them on TV," Quill replied. "Maybe an internet search is in order?"

"You're looking for a private investigator?" Tony asked, overhearing the two on the way in.

Quill had to do a double take. What did their professor know about a private investigator? Thor didn't seem to have the same hang ups. "Do you know a good one?" he asked.

"I may have met one recently that has a high success rate," Tony said thoughtfully. He neglected to tell them it was through a drunken one night stand.

"Do you think you could introduce us?"

\---------------------

Tony's information led him, Thor, and Quill to a run down apartment building. If he didn't start questioning what he was getting them into when he saw the building, he certainly did when he saw the cardboard sign covering up the broken window on the door to Jessica's office. "Are we going to get shot?" Quill asked in a low whisper.

"It's fine," Tony said, clearing his throat and trying to muster some confidence. "Everything is fine."

"We've come this far. We might as well see it through," Thor said, knocking on the door.

It took a minute, but eventually Jessica opened the door. She looked the three of them over, her frown deepening when she got to Tony. "What do you want?" she asked with a sigh.

"We're here to hire you for a job, actually," Tony said quickly, hoping that their previous affair wouldn't come up. He then pointed to the door and asked, "what happened there?"

"That? Some asshole decided it was my fault that his marriage fell to pieces when he was the one who couldn't keep his dick in his pants," Jessica said bluntly.

Tony winced. He wasn't the one who broke the window on her door so he knew that she wasn't talking about him, but the description fit him a little too well. The only real difference was that he'd taken his anger out on Pepper and Bruce. Maybe an apology was in order. If he could ever get himself to the point where he could swallow his pride. There wasn't exactly a high chance of that happening.

"Basically, business as usual." Jessica opened the door wider and invited them inside. She had to pull up an extra chair so they could all take a seat at her desk. "So, what kind of job did you three have in mind exactly?"

"Are you going to be okay?" Tony asked suddenly, finding that he was still focused on the door. "What if that guy comes back?"

Jessica shrugged, "I'll show him the door a second time, I guess."

"Wait! The damage was from you basically shoving him through the door?" Quill asked with a wide eyed awe.

"Maybe," Jessica said, taking a seat opposite the three of them.

"That's freakin' awesome."

"Be that as it may," Tony intervened, "you should still get the door fixed."

"You sound like Trish," Jessica sighed.

Trish? That name sounded familiar to Tony for some reason. He couldn't quite place it though. "Yeah, well, she sounds smart. You should listen to her."

"Trish doesn't think I know the first thing about taking care of myself," Jessica said sternly.

Tony wanted to reply with an equally stern response, but decided against it. What was he doing? He had no reason to get into an argument with her. They were here so that Thor could hire her for some job-- not so he could further involve himself with her. If she didn't want to fix her door, it was none of his business.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Instead of waiting for a response, the person on the other side warned Jessica that he was coming in and then did exactly that. The man had a mop of dirty blond hair, a short beard, and bright blue eyes. "I'm going to call someone and get this door fixed," he said, opening and closing the door as he observed it making a disturbing creaking noise.

"Don't you dare."

"It's going to happen, Jess," he said. He closed the door a final time and then approached the desk where the other three were. "By the way, I'm very sorry I interrupted your meeting. I may be able to make it up to you though. You see, if left to her own devices, Jessica tries to subsist off of alcohol alone. That's why me and another interested party would like to drag her out to lunch. If you'd be willing to join us, I'd pay the bill. You could eat as much as you'd like while you hammer out the details of whatever job you want Jessica to undertake."

"I could eat," Thor said, seeing no issues with this plan.

"Yeah. I'm in too," Quill said. He'd have to be insane to pass up free food.

"Fine," Tony said, simply going along with the other two. He supposed a change of scenery wouldn't hurt. They could certainly do better than a run down apartment. He wasn't sure what to make of this guy just yet though. His familiarity with Jessica irked Tony a bit for some reason.

"Great. I'm Danny, by the way," he said, holding out his hand so that the others could shake it. "Danny Rand."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an fyi, I did update the tags. If you've been following the story there shouldn't be anything shocking there. Anyway, if you guys think of any I didn't add that I probably should, feel free to tell me. I'll be the first to admit I don't totally know what I'm doing when it comes to tagging. :O

After confirming that his choice was okay with everyone, Danny took the group to a Chinese restaurant and encouraged them to order whatever took their fancy. Tony decided to test the limit of his offer by pretending that he was interested in getting several items. Danny just shrugged and said that if Tony really wanted all of them, he would be glad to get them for him. The man definitely wasn't frugal. Of course, it was probably easy to be generous when you were one of the CEO's of Rand Enterprises.

Jessica leaned over and whispered in Tony's ear. "I don't know what your problem is, but could you stop being an asshole and order like a normal person?"

"What if I really want all of those things?"

"You don't," Jessica said bluntly before turning her attention back to her menu.

"I kind of want to try a bunch of things too," Quill admitted, "but maybe this is a situation where sharing is in order. If the rest of you guys are interested in that."

"I'm not really a sharer," Jessica said.

"What she said," Tony added.

"I'd be willing to share, but I get vegetarian dishes so I'm not sure that'd be appealing to the rest of you," Danny said apologetically.

"I'll share with you, Quill," Thor said, "I'm not picky either so we can just order whatever two things you're the most interested in."

"You're really cool with that?" Quill asked.

Thor nodded. "It all sounds good to me. I promise."

The chimes at the entrance sounded as a tall, dark, and muscular man came into the restaurant. Danny grinned and got up from his seated position to greet him. Tony figured this was supposed to be the other interested party Danny had mentioned earlier. Tony noted that Jessica was staring at her menu even more intently than before. She hadn't bothered to look up at all when the man arrived. It wasn't because she wasn't interested though. No. Tony got the sense that it was the exact opposite. She was too interested and was trying to cover it up by pretending that she wasn't. The two men hugged and then headed back to the table where the rest of them were sitting. 

"Guys, this is Luke," Danny said, making introductions, "Luke, these three are Jessica's potential clients, Tony, Thor, and Quill."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Luke said in a suave, collected voice. Tony could sort of understand Jessica's reaction now. The man oozed charisma. He took a seat next to Danny and then said, "you should hurry up and hire Jessica, by the way. Granted, I don't know what you're hiring her for, but she'll get the job done."

"I was planning to do just that," Thor said, "we were just invited out to eat by Danny here before we could hammer out the details."

"Yeah. That wasn't great timing on my part, was it? Well, at least this way we all get to make a few new friends," Danny said positively. He turned to Luke and added, "speaking of friends, any luck roping Matt in?"

"No. You know how he is. Stubborn as Jessica."

"Maybe next time then," Danny sighed.

The waiter came around and took their orders. While they waited for their food, Jessica and Thor started discussing the job. The scale of the job was definitely bigger than the ones Jessica usually took on so she was hesitant to accept, but Thor won her over in the end. She started asking a series of questions to help her figure out where to start.

"How did you three meet?" Quill asked Danny and Luke curiously. Thor and Jessica were still busy so he figured it'd be good to start up a conversation with the table members who weren't already occupied.

"Luke was the one that introduced me and Jessica," Danny volunteered.

"Yeah..." Luke hesitated a moment, but then went ahead with his story. "I met Jessica first. We were both drinking at a bar and, well, one thing led to another."

"You were involved with each other then?" Tony asked.

Luke nodded. "On and off for about a year before we broke it off for good."

"You managed to stay friends though."

"Yeah," Luke confirmed. "Danny... I found in the park."

"It's kind of a long story, but everyone thought I died in a plane crash when I was a kid when I was actually saved by a group of monks. I lived with them for quite awhile before finally making my way back here. The problem with that was that when I showed up, nobody believed I was who I said I was," Danny started explaining, "I was living on the street until Luke found me and took me in."

"It worked out well so we just kept living together even once Danny got everything straightened out," Luke said, taking Danny's hand into his own and squeezing it gently.

"So you two are..." Quill trailed off as he started to connect the dots.

"Married," Danny said proudly. He then frowned and added, "Ward won't let me go public with it though. He says it's bad for the company's image or something. But seriously! Would anyone worth considering actually care that I'm with a man?"

"I don't think he's worried about that," Luke sighed, "it's the prison time that he's concerned about."

"But that was for a crime you didn't commit!"

"It still looks bad. And image is everything for a company," Luke said. Danny's frown deepened. Luke smiled slightly and then gently brushed some of Danny's hair away from his forehead as he said, "I do appreciate that you don't want to hide it. Honestly though, I'm kind of glad it worked out this way. I'd rather not have all the attention that comes with being the spouse of a billionaire."

"Paparazzi can be annoying," Danny admitted, cheering up slightly.

"I wholeheartedly agree with that," Tony chimed in. Now that he knew that the two were a couple, he relaxed. A quick self analysis of that behavior forced Tony to admit to himself that he was more interested in Jessica than he'd initially thought. But what was he supposed to do with that information? He was still hung up on Pepper so he wasn't looking for an actual relationship, right? Did that mean that he just wanted to sleep with her again? Was he really that depraved?

"When did you two know you were in love with each other?" Quill asked. Tony put a stop to his own line of thinking and paid attention. Quill sounded serious and that was unexpected. "And did it happen right away or gradually? Was it obvious?"

"It wasn't obvious. It probably should have been though," Danny said with a chuckle, "I figured it out when I didn't need to stay at Luke's place anymore. The thought of leaving forced me to realize that I didn't want to be away from Luke."

"It was the same for me," Luke said. "I thought I'd be happy to get my place back to myself, but then when Danny mentioned that he was actually in a position to leave... I couldn't let him. Being around him had become as natural as breathing."

"We both ended up taking a chance and being honest about our feelings. Because of that, we discovered that there was a bit more hiding under the surface than we'd originally thought," Danny finished.

"Take a chance, huh?" Quill repeated, glancing Thor's way. It only lasted half a second, but Tony caught it. That put the pieces into place for him.

So, Quill and Thor, huh? Tony supposed the pair was kind of cute in a dumb sort of way.

\---------------------

After lunch, Jessica, Tony, Thor, and Quill headed back to the office. While they'd already discussed the job's details, she still needed to have Thor fill out a contract. Danny had offered them all a ride back, but the group had opted to walk back instead as Jessica's office wasn't that far away and it was probably faster anyway when factoring in traffic. Thor and Quill occupied themselves by animatedly talking about how good their food had been, leaving Tony and Jessica to trail silently behind them. Tony figured it was now or never if he wanted to strike up a conversation with her.

"So... You and Luke, huh?" Tony asked casually. He knew it wasn't the safest topic to bring up, but it was the one he was the most interested in finding out more about at the moment.

Jessica shoved her hands in her pockets and frowned. "That was a long time ago."

"But you're still not over it."

"What's your point, Stark?" Jessica asked bitterly.

"I was just wondering why you agreed to break up with him if you weren't ready for the relationship to end."

Jessica went quiet. 

"I suppose it's not actually any of my business," Tony said, offering her an easy way out of the conversation. Even if he wanted to know, she didn't exactly owe him an answer.

"It's fine," Jessica said quickly, making up her mind, "I agreed to break up with him because I assumed we'd get back together. That was the way it had always worked up until that point. We'd hook up, get into a fight, call it off, and then repeat the process a few days later. I never thought it was actually the end. But then he went and picked up a homeless billionaire who I can't even hate because, even though he is annoyingly persistent and naive, he's a good person. He's good for Luke too. Much better than I ever was." She looked at Tony and added, "so, basically, it was just me practicing my usual brand of bullshit."

It finally clicked. The real reason Tony was so drawn to her. Jessica was like him. He didn't want to sleep with her. Well, that wasn't true. He definitely wouldn't say no to sleeping with her again, but that's not what he was looking for from her. Not really. She made him feel less alone just by existing. He imagined that getting closer to her would alleviate that loneliness even more. "Hey, Jessica," Tony said, hoping she'd respond well to what he was about to ask, "what do you think about getting a drink together from time to time?"

"I think that I told you it was a one night stand."

"I never said anything about us sleeping together."

Jessica paused, considering. Then, she asked, "would I have to talk to you?"

"No. You do not have to talk to me."

"Fine," Jessica said, the slightest hint of a smile forming on her face, "I guess I could take you up on that offer."

\---------------------

After getting the contract taken care of, Quill and Thor headed back to Quill's room and wasted a few hours playing video games together. The more they played, the worse Quill did as his mind was elsewhere. "Hey," Thor started after Quill's tenth loss in a row, "is everything okay? I know I'm good, but I'm not this good."

"Everything is fine," Quill said with a sigh, "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Care to share?"

"Not really," Quill groaned. Thor looked a little hurt at how quickly Quill had dismissed him so Quill let out another sigh and clarified, "because I'm thinking about you."

"You're thinking about taking me seriously?" Thor asked with a wide grin.

"I don't know," Quill grumbled. He'd been saying that a lot lately. It annoyed him. But what was he supposed to say? He really didn't know. Thor was... Thor was handsome beyond all reason. Quill had never really imagined himself with a guy before Thor, but the idea wasn't unappealing. In fact, the more time he'd spent with Thor, the more intrigued he'd become by the idea. Beyond that, Thor was goofy, fun, nice. He was someone Quill naturally got along with. What had Luke said? Being around him had become as natural as breathing. Yeah. That kind of described him and Thor too.

But then there was Gamora. Quill knew exactly how he felt about her. Even if she'd pretty blatantly rejected him, he couldn't stop hoping that somehow there was still a chance they could be together-- especially now that Thor wasn't dating her. Her main reason for rejecting him was because she was committed to Thor, right? If he'd asked her how she felt about him now, would she respond the same way?

He liked them both. That was the conclusion Quill kept coming to. And, even though Thor had made his intentions clear, Quill didn't know if he wanted to respond to his feelings. If he did, that meant abandoning his feelings for Gamora. Likewise, if things somehow worked out with Gamora, he'd have to give up on Thor. Neither option was appealing. Remaining undecided was just as bad though. He'd lose both of them that way.

Quill looked in Thor's direction and made up his mind. He wouldn't ever know if he didn't give it a chance, right? Thor cocked his head slightly in a questioning manner just before Quill launched himself at Thor and pinned him to the bed. "I-I can do anything I want, right?" Quill asked nervously as he hovered over Thor.

Thor's initial shock was replaced by an amused smile as he said, "yes, you can."

"Then I'm going to kiss you," Quill said, ignoring the part of his brain that was telling him to abort the mission.

"Okay. My body is ready." 

Why did he have to say something so embarrassing? Instead of going through with the kiss, Quill's face turned a vibrant red as he froze in place. He couldn't go through with it after all. Not when Thor looked so calm and collected like this was no big deal! How could he not be nervous?

After enduring a minute of Quill's awkward staring, Thor tried something to let him off the hook a bit. "Would you like me to kiss you instead?" he asked.

Quill took a few seconds to think about it before managing a shy nod.

Thor chuckled and then rolled Quill over so that he was now on top. His grin was mischievous and playful. Quill gulped. Thor may know what he was doing, but Quill didn't. This was so different from any of the girls he'd been with in the past. Thor leaned in and Quill closed his eyes.

"Owww!" Thor yelped suddenly. Quill opened his eyes to find Loki pulling Thor's head back by his long blond hair.

"Why do you have no self control?" Loki growled to Thor before turning his attention to Quill with a sympathetic look on his face. "I'm so sorry about my stupid oaf of a brother. Are you alright, Quill? I intervened before he did anything too terrible, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Quill said, head spinning. When did Loki even get in the room?

"I didn't do anything wrong," Thor mumbled grumpily, "I got Quill's permission first."

"H-he did," Quill muttered quietly, blushing an even deeper shade of red than before.

"Oh," Loki said, a slight blush appearing on his own face, "I, uh, apologize then. You two may, um, resume what you were doing." That said, he released Thor and bolted out of the room. Quill was pretty sure he was still the one who was most embarrassed by this whole situation, but Loki was a close second. Thor, on the other hand, was unphased.

"So, shall we continue where we left off?" he asked with a sly smile.

"No," Quill said, covering his face. "I need to mentally die for a bit."

Thor sighed. Quill could tell that he was more than a little disappointed. Still, when he replied, he replied considerately. "Okay. If that's what you need to do, then that's what you need to do. I'll go see what Loki wanted and give you some space." That said, he got up and headed for the door. He hesitated for a moment before adding a small, "sorry," and then left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters keep getting longer and longer! :O

Gamora was admittedly a bit nervous as she entered the diner for the first time since she'd cried her eyes out after talking with Thor. Honestly, she probably should have used the event to make a clean break from the place. It would be better for all involved if she didn't show her face around the diner-- she wouldn't be manipulating Quill's feelings just by hanging around and it'd be much harder to link her to Scott if her and her father ever got caught. Still, she loved this place. It really had just started out as a good place to study, but the food was good and, well, she liked the people who worked there too. She'd found that she wasn't ready to abandon the diner just yet.

"Hey Quill," she said with a pleasant smile as Quill approached her.

"Ah, hey, Gamora. You want your usual table?" he asked, averting his gaze shyly. It wasn't the shy gaze she was familiar with though. This one was tinged with... guilt, maybe? But what did he have to feel guilty about? She supposed there was the whole telling Thor about Thanos thing, but she was over that. Was that really it though? Gamora doubted it. She took a closer look at Quill hoping to find another hint. It was then that she realized he looked tired, like he hadn't slept.

"Is everything okay, Quill?" she asked, putting off Quill's question.

"Huh? Y-yeah. Everything is fine. Why?"

"You just look really tired," Gamora said gently.

"That would be because I didn't get much sleep last night," Quill admitted with a sigh. "I'm okay though, really. I just need to do better tonight."

"Be sure that you do. I don't want to find out that you aren't taking care of yourself," Gamora replied. "And, to answer your earlier question, yes, I'd like my usual booth."

"Then right this way," Quill said, perking up a bit as he led her to her table. 

Quill took her order and then went to fetch her a cup of coffee. Gamora took that opportunity to look around the diner. A cursory glance told her that Scott wasn't here today. She'd thought this one of the days he was supposed to be working, but maybe she was wrong about that. Or maybe he called in to be with his daughter or something. It'd be nice if he was able to spend some time with her.

Well, whatever the case, Gamora had some studying to do. She dug through her backpack and pulled out the textbook she planned on going through for the day. Gamora only got through a couple of pages before she overheard Darcy talking to Quill. Normally, she'd just ignore the conversation, but this time it was about Thor. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she still wasn't completely over what had happened between them.

"Seriously though! Thor is so hot. If someone had a chance to go out with him, they'd be crazy not to jump on that opportunity," Darcy said.

"Then why don't you ask him out?" Quill asked grumpily. It was clear that he wanted nothing to do with this conversation.

"Because I'm loyal to my boyfriend."

"Since when do you have a boyfriend?"

"Since that party you got drunk at. Thanks for being an observant friend."

"Sheesh. Sorry. I had my own stuff going on at that time, remember? Anyway, what's his name?"

"Sam. And he's pretty great by the way," Darcy said proudly, "he's also got this friend named Bucky. They hang out all the time and are really close so if I play my cards right..."

"Seriously, Darcy?"

"Hey. You never know unless you ask. I think the three of us could be good together."

"Well, good luck, I guess."

"Thank you. But don't think for a second I forgot what we were talking about! We're talking about Thor and how it'd be totally insane not to date him, Quill."

"Look, I don't know what you want from me."

Darcy let out an irritated groan. "Just go out with him already. You know he's totally into you."

Gamora shut her textbook. Quill was the reason why Thor was so confident that breaking up with her had been the right thing to do? So, the guy that liked her ended up stealing her boyfriend. It'd almost be funny if it wasn't so frustrating. Gamora's thoughts turned a bit vindictive and she briefly wondered how Thor would react if she stole Quill from him. Then, she reminded herself that wasn't who she was. Just because he'd inadvertently hurt her, that didn't mean Thor was a bad person. She'd already ruined him enough as is. If anything, maybe this was some karmic form of justice. And Quill didn't deserve to get dragged into something like that either. He'd been nothing but kind to her since the day she'd met him. Gamora sighed and tried to refocus on her textbook. It wasn't easy now that she was in a glum mood though.

She looked up when she heard the chime to the diner's entrance ring. In came a frazzled looking Scott with a little girl in his arms. He wandered over to Quill and Darcy and muttered a quick apology, "I am so sorry I'm late."

"It's cool, man. I mean, things happen and it's not like you didn't give us a heads up as soon as you knew," Quill responded. "May doesn't have any issue with Cassie hanging out at the diner either."

"I know it's not ideal, but--"

"It's fine," Darcy chimed in, "we can all keep an eye on her as we work."

Gamora stood up and cleared her throat. "I can watch her, Scott," she offered before she even realized what she was doing. The three workers turned their attention towards her instantly. "I'm not really doing anything important and I don't mind. Really. So, if you want..."

"That would be really helpful," Scott said with a relieved smile.

"Then yeah. We can hang out over here at my booth," Gamora said, "does she like to draw? I have a bunch of paper and pens."

"What do you think, Cassie? Does that sound good?" Scott asked his daughter. She nodded in response. That decided, Scott set Cassie down and let her settle into the seat opposite Gamora. Quill grabbed them some crayons they had for the kid's menus and then got back to work with the rest of his co-workers.

"Your name is Cassie, right?" Gamora asked as she handed out a few sheets of paper.

"Um hm," Cassie replied with a smile, "what's your name?"

"My name is Gamora. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Gamora."

"So, what do you think we should draw first, Cassie?"

"I'm going to draw daddy," Cassie said enthusiastically as she took up a green crayon. Scott was green, huh? It wasn't the color Gamora would have picked for him. "You should draw your daddy too."

"O-okay," Gamora said. She wasn't sure she liked that idea, but she complied. She picked up a purple crayon and unintentionally ended up making Thanos look a bit like a gorilla. It wasn't exactly inaccurate... Gamora also ended up drawing Nebula, figuring why not make it a family portrait? It had been awhile since she'd been forced to do one of those. Once she was done, Gamora showed her picture to Cassie. "The big one is my dad," Gamora explained, "this other figure here is my sister, Nebula."

"Where's your mom?"

Gamora hesitated. "I don't have a mom," she said finally, "I guess that makes my family a little different from normal ones."

"That's okay. Mine is different too," Cassie said, "I have two dads. One is my actual dad and one is my mom's boyfriend."

"I-I see," Gamora said. Scott wasn't married after all then? That meant that... Gamora dismissed the thought before it fully formed. She'd decided to break up with Thor because she didn't want her father to use him against her. That same logic applied to any relationship she'd normally pursue. Dating wasn't really a luxury Gamora and her sister had. "It's your turn to show me your picture."

Cassie lifted hers up proudly. On the page was a green stick figure with a set of antenna.

"Is your dad supposed to be an alien here?" Gamora asked, hoping she wasn't asking an offensive question.

"No. He's Ant-Man."

"What's an Ant-Man?"

"A superhero that can turn small like an ant. He uses his powers to break into bad guy hideouts and take back what they've stolen from the good people."

"Are we talking about Ant-Man?" Quill asked excitedly as he approached their table.

"Yeah!" Cassie said excitedly.

"He's cool, but he's not as cool as Star-Lord, right?"

Cassie giggled and shook her head. "Ant-Man is cooler."

"But Star-Lord has laser guns and an awesome mask."

Cassie just responded with another fit of giggles.

"I think I require an explanation," Gamora said with a smile. She wasn't sure what was going on, but Quill's interaction with Cassie was kind of endearing.

"Ant-Man is a character Scott came up with for a bed time story," Quill explained, "he ended up being so popular that Scott had to come up with more stories about him. Darcy and I helped him with some plot points and ended up having to come up with our own superhero personas to throw into the mix. Darcy is Princess Intern, by the way."

"Seriously?" Gamora asked with a laugh. It was stupid, but it also sounded like a lot of fun.

"We occasionally have some time on our hands," Quill said with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm done with my shift. Did you want me to take over?"

"Thanks for the offer, Quill, but I'm good. I'm having fun."

"She has to make a character anyway," Cassie said.

"O-oh," Gamora stammered. Cassie wanted her to be a part of her dad's crazy stories, huh? She couldn't help but feel flattered.

Gamora's attention was diverted to the diner's entrance. Of all people, it was Thor who stepped through the door. He immediately looked in Gamora's direction, eyes shifting between her and Quill. "Ah, hey," Thor said, approaching the group of three, "sorry to interrupt, but are you ready to go, Quill?"

"Yeah, sure. Um, see you around, Gamora. You too, Cassie," Quill said.

Gamora nodded and watched the two of them leave in silence. So, Thor was giving Quill rides home now? She sighed. Everything seemed so backwards about that. Screw it. She didn't have time to waste thinking about Thor. She had to come up with a superhero identity! A little girl was counting on it! Of course, in reality she was definitely more of a villain...

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked with a frown.

"Oh, nothing," Gamora said, forcing a smile, "it's just hard coming up with a character that'll be epic enough to stand beside Ant-Man."

"It's okay. I'll help."

Gamora smiled genuinely this time.

\---------------------

"Thanks for picking me up," Quill said once he'd gotten into the car with Thor. Quill's car had decided to die earlier in the day and he hadn't had the time to try and fix it. Thor had been a lifesaver by offering to drive him to and from work. Even so, things had been a little awkward between them after that failed kiss attempt. Quill knew that was kind of his fault since he was the one who was avoiding the subject, but he couldn't really help the fact that he couldn't bring himself to look Thor in the eye.

And now that he'd seen Gamora again, he was more torn than before. He'd felt like he cheated on her. He knew that was crazy since they were never dating in the first place, but he'd definitely felt an undeniable and instinctive sense of guilt when she entered the diner.

"It's the least I could do," Thor said, "you and your family are really helping me out. Of course, I'd be happy to do it even if that weren't the case."

Quill wasn't sure how he wanted to respond to that so he just remained silent.

Thor waited a full minute before breaking the silence. "Loki was right. You really do seem different around Gamora."

"...I can't really help it," Quill said quietly.

"I know. I just... I got jealous," Thor admitted.

"Hey, Thor... What if you're wrong about how you feel about me?"

"I'm not wrong. I like you."

"Yeah, but... You thought you loved Gamora," Quill said, looking out the window. "What if you're just confused because whatever this is is new? What if Loki interrupting us was the universe's way of saying don't go through with it?"

"I assure you, Loki is not the physical manifestation of the universe's will," Thor said, "also, if you use that as an excuse to brush me off, I won't forgive you. You're right. I thought I loved Gamora, but you're the one that made me realize the feelings I had for her weren't that. I'm not wrong this time." Quill responded with silence which he realized was about the worst thing he could do. Thor didn't call him on it though. He just kept driving until he pulled up at the local high school to pick up his next two passengers.

May had asked Thor if he could pick up Peter and Ned in her stead. Apparently, they were planning to work on a project for the science fair together after school. Thor had been more than happy to oblige. Quill leaned back in his seat as Thor rolled down the window and waved the two over to the car. A couple of high school girls giggled excitedly as they noticed Thor.

"You're popular as always," Quill commented.

"It's a gift and a curse," Thor said with a shrug.

"Hey Quill, Thor," Petter said, getting into the back seat.

Ned got in on the opposite side and said, "long time no see, Quill. Also, it's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Thor. I'm Ned."

Thor leaned back and extended a hand for Ned to shake, "the mister isn't necessary and it's a pleasure to meet you as well. Any friend of Peter's is a friend of mine." Ned took Thor's hand and shook it with an expression of awe on his face. Quill could understand the feeling.

Once everyone was buckled in, Thor drove them back to the house. Interestingly enough, they pulled into the drive way at the exact time their neighbors pulled into theirs. Out of the neighbor's car stepped two figures. One Quill vaguely recognized from Thor's party-- the Wakandan exchange student that had unintentionally blocked him from getting to the cheese sticks-- and a younger girl who looked like she was his sister.

"T'challa!" Thor shouted happily as he got out of the car, arms raised and prepped for a hug.

"Ah, if it isn't Thor," T'challa chuckled, meeting the man half way and accepting the hug, "I never imagined I'd run into you here of all places."

"Yeah, well, my situation is a bit strange at the moment."

"I heard. I'm sorry about what happened with your father."

"It's alright. We'll get it sorted out soon enough. Honestly, I'm just as surprised to meet you here. I would have thought they'd put Wakandan royalty up in a bigger house."

"They tried. The smaller house was given to us at my request," T'challa explained, "I thought that while I was here in America, it was important to try to better understand the way that normal people live. It's not a perfect imitation, of course. Okoye still hangs around as my bodyguard and it's not as if I ever have to think twice about buying something, but I think it does help a little at least."

Quill had honestly never met his neighbors. He was working when they first moved in so he'd missed his chance to meet them. It was kind of crazy that he'd been living next to a Wakandan prince this whole time and never knew it. That seemed like something his family should have mentioned to him. As Thor and T'challa talked, Quill's attention drifted to the girl. Peter and Ned had engaged her in a conversation of their own.

"Good luck with your science project, Shuri," Peter said, blushing shyly. Wait. What? This girl went to the same school as his brother then? Were they in the same class? And was that a crush that Quill was witnessing?

"Yeah. Good luck," Ned said, blushing in a similar manner. Oh boy. Quill sensed some trouble ahead.

"I appreciate that," Shuri said with a confident smile, "but I don't need luck. I'll win the science fair with skill alone."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Quill interjected, "to win first place you'd have to beat these guys and I don't see that happening." Both Peter and Ned flashed Quill dirty looks. Quill wasn't about to let them roll over for a girl they liked though. She may be smart, but Peter and Ned were the smartest kids he knew.

"Oh, Shuri will win," T'challa said, ending his conversation with Thor and looking at Quill in a challenging manner, "while I have no doubt that these two are gifted, their intellect can't hope to compare to my sister's."

Oh, it was on now.

\---------------------

"Thank you so much for looking after Cassie," Scott said, meeting Gamora at her table after his shift. Cassie had fallen asleep about an hour ago, crayon still in hand. That had given Gamora a little bit of time to return to her studies.

"It was no problem, really. I had fun," Gamora replied.

"You're not just saying that?"

"I'm not," Gamora said earnestly, "by the way, I spent the day making a character for your Ant-Man stories. She's really cool and is the best swordswoman in the galaxy. You better incorporate her properly."

"I promise I'll do my best," Scott laughed. "Anyway, I'm going to go get some dinner with Cassie before I go home. Would you be interested in joining us? I need to pay you back somehow."

"No you don't."

"Come on. Please let me pay you back. You can tell me all about your character while we eat."

Gamora intended to refuse, but something about the overly dramatic pleading expression Scott had chosen to use made her change her mind. Besides, she found that she did want to go with them. "Well... I guess dinner does sound pretty good right now."

\---------------------

Quill sulked as Thor and Loki played video games together in his room. Loki had been exiled from Peter's room so that Peter and Ned could work on their project properly. Honestly, Quill was kind of glad. After all, it meant he didn't have to be alone with Thor. He knew he'd have to face that problem eventually, but he was happy to put it off. It left him plenty of time to mope over the fact that Peter had said he hated him.

"It's just him being a hormonal teenager," Loki said, keeping his gaze fixed on the TV. "He doesn't really hate you. He's just upset that you embarrassed him in front of the girl he likes."

"I know that, but it still didn't feel great."

"Well, maybe next time let him embarrass himself instead of doing it for him."

Quill let out a sigh and slumped over onto his bed. "Yeah. You have a point."

"Also, Shuri is really smart. Your brother and his friend will have a hard time beating her," Thor added, "you kind of put a lot of pressure on them."

Quill just groaned.


	13. Chapter 13

Quill was surprised when Loki came to his room at night instead of Thor.

"We will be swapping rooms for tonight," Loki explained, "Thor figured you'd sleep better tonight if he was in Peter's room. Believe it or not, he is observant enough to figure out that you've been tired all day."

"He didn't have to do that."

"I disagree," Loki said, "you get way too wrapped up in your own head when you're around Thor."

"Yeah. I guess I can't really deny that," Quill sighed.

Loki took a seat next to Quill on the bed. "You know, with Thor, you really don't have to overthink things. He can't hide anything to save his life. I told him to be more subtle and he went and confessed to you."

"Him and Darcy seem to have the same definition of subtlety," Quill said with an amused smile.

"Really now?"

"She straight up said that Thor was into me and that I should just date him already."

"That's what you get when you trust a fairy godmother, I guess," Loki snickered.

"Fairy godmother?"

"Yeah... Thor asked her to put in a good word for him."

"Ah, so that's why she was being so annoying about it."

"Well, for what it's worth, I do agree with her," Loki said, "if you like my brother at all-- which I assume you do since you were going to let him kiss you-- you should just date him already."

Quill frowned. "I do like him. I just... I don't know if I believe him."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't get me wrong! I do think that he believes what he says when he says he likes me! But he said he loved Gamora too. And... I guess I just can't see why he likes me. It's not like I did anything to make him like me."

"Quill, I like you and I don't like anyone," Loki said.

"That's not true. You like Peter. I also saw you watching one of my dad's soaps with him the other day. The two of you seemed to be getting along pretty well. And nobody dislikes my mom."

"Fine, fine. You're right, of course. I guess I do like your family. Honestly, they feel more like my family than my own ever did-- excluding Thor, of course," Loki admitted, "but I liked you first. And that's probably because you listened to me."

"Anyone can listen to somebody."

"Yeah, but nobody actually does," Loki pointed out. "Trust me. I'd been holding onto all of that crap for years and you're the only one who bothered asking. I think... that you have a good sense of what people need from you. You don't seem reliable, but you kind of are and you stick your neck out for your friends before they even ask for your help."

"I don't know about that," Quill said, scratching his cheek shyly. It was kind of embarrassing to hear so many positive things about himself-- especially considering the fact that they were coming from Loki.

"Look, Quill," Loki said, "if you ask Thor why he likes you, he honestly probably wouldn't be able to give you a proper answer. He does things instinctively so pinpointing an exact reason why might be hard for him. But there are plenty of valid reasons to like you and he likes you. If you can't trust him, trust me. As someone who has been observing his erratic behavior since we were kids, there is a difference between the way he acts with you and the way he acted with Gamora. For one thing, he makes you his first priority. He never did that with Gamora. He'd make time for her, of course, but he didn't cling to her the way he does to you. Also--"

"Alright, I get it! Y-you don't need to say any more," Quill stammered. The more he heard the more ridiculous he felt about the way he'd been acting. "I'll... I'll figure it out."

"You know, part of your problem might be that you're basically diving into the deep end," Loki said, "which I blame on Thor since, as I said before, he can't hold back to save his life. Anyway, you can start small, you know? You don't have to jump straight into endless make out session territory. Maybe go see a movie together first or something."

"A movie..." Quill repeated. "You know, there is actually one I wanted to go see. Asking Thor to go see it with me does sound pretty doable."

"There you go then."

"Loki... You're pretty awesome, you know that?"

"T-that's," Loki's eyes went wide as his face turned red. He really wasn't used to compliments. "You're welcome?"

"So, how are things going with you?" Quill asked, turning the conversation around, "are you holding up okay? I mean, even omitting the dad stuff, it can't be easy to adjust to living in a house like this when you're used to that castle sized building you call home."

"I'm good, Quill. I already had this conversation with Peter, actually," Loki said with a small smile, "he really is a good kid. He does like to babble though."

"Yeah. He does do that. Sorry."

"I don't mind it. In fact, I think I've gotten to the point where I kind of enjoy it. I like living with your family. For the most part anyway. I do miss sleeping in a real bed."

Quill stood up and gestured to his own bed. "Take mine then." Loki looked like he was about to protest so Quill added, "at least for tonight."

"If you're sure..."

"I'm sure," Quill said, taking a seat on the floor before getting into Thor's sleeping bag.

"Alright then. I guess I will take you up on your offer. Good night, Quill."

"Night, Loki," Quill said, settling in. Loki got the lights and then got onto Quill's bed. It didn't Loki long to fall asleep. Quill supposed that was because he actually got to use a bed this time. The sleeping bags weren't bad, but they were no replacement for an actual place to sleep. Quill rolled over and took a deep breath. Only then did it occur to him that the pillow smelled a little like Thor. That made sense. It was the pillow he'd been using lately after all. It was kind of a comforting scent. Quill closed his eyes and slowly fell into a restful sleep.

\---------------------

Quill and Loki had been up for about an hour now. Most of that time had been spent discussing movie plans. Quill was prepared to ask Thor right away, but Loki insisted he take a shower first and make sure to groom himself properly. Quill didn't really see the point as there was virtually no chance that Thor would decline the invitation, but he supposed he had to take a shower at some point in the day anyway. So, Quill gathered a set of clothes and made his way to the bathroom. However, when he opened the door he found out that the bathroom was already occupied as he witnessed a very naked Thor stepping out of the shower.

"I'm so sorry! I should have knocked or something! I wasn't thinking!" Quill said, turning his back towards Thor as he blushed furiously.

"It's okay, Quill. I honestly don't mind if you see," Thor said. Quill would never understand how Thor could be so casual in these sorts of situations. "And I probably should have locked the door in the first place. It wasn't really an issue back home since we all had our own bathrooms. Old habits die hard, I guess."

They seriously all had their own bathrooms? As a person from a middle income family, that seemed excessive to Quill. "Um, putting all of that aside, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"Do you... Would you want to go see a movie with me later today?"

"You're asking me out on a date?" Quill didn't have to turn around to know that there was an excited grin on Thor's face when he asked the question.

"Yeah, kind of," Quill said shyly, "except I already told Loki he could come too."

"Oh. Okay. That is kind of weird though if you meant it as a date."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just... I told him about the movie and he sounded interested."

"Also, you two would blow it if I left you to your own devices anyway," Loki said as he passed by the scene, "And, Thor, for the love of all that is good in the world, put some clothes on already. No one wants to see you naked."

"That is just factually incorrect. There are plenty of people who'd like to see me naked," Thor said confidently.

It was at that moment that May and Yondu also happened to pass by. They also got an eyeful of Thor in all his glory. May just cleared her throat, blushed slightly, and said, "no comment," before moving on.

Yondu pointed at Thor and gave him a menacing look as he said, "stop trying to seduce my wife or I will kick you to the curb."

Ah, the joys of a large number of people living in a fairly confined space. At least Peter had been spared.

\---------------------

"Quill, why don't you go ahead and stake out some seats?" Loki asked, "Thor and I will raid the concession stand."

"I'd rather go with Quill though," Thor pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I need your manly arms to help me carry stuff so you're stuck with me for a couple of minutes."

"If you're getting a lot, I should probably help pay--" Quill started before Loki cut him off.

"You will do no such thing. We've got this. Now shoo. Oh, but before that, what kind of drink do you want?"

"I'm good with pretty much whatever so... Surprise me, I guess? Just don't get me anything diet."

"Alright. Will do. Make sure you get us the best seats."

"Roger that," Quill said with a salute. He then split away from the group and headed to the theater.

"What's this really about?" Thor asked as soon as Quill was out of sight.

"Oh, I really do need you to carry stuff," Loki said, "but I also wanted to remind you to behave yourself. Don't overwhelm Quill, okay? He's figuring it out. You just have to give him some time. Oh, and there's one little thing you probably should have done awhile ago."

\---------------------

"Is this movie supposed to be bad?" Thor asked, noting that they were the only three people in the theater. Loki held onto a large bin of overpriced popcorn as he sipped on one of the three drinks he'd gotten for them.

"I mean, it's not supposed to be great," Quill admitted, "but it's got Drax in it so I have to see it."

"Drax?" Loki questioned.

"He's that wrestler guy who became an actor, right?" Thor asked.

"I don't believe you two," Quill groaned, "but yes, he's that wrestler guy that became an actor. Well, at least one of those wrestler guys that became an actor. Anyway, he's freaking awesome and you two not knowing that is basically a crime."

"Huh," Thor said, not committing to more of a comment. The theater went dark and the previews started playing. There wasn't much of note there. Then, the movie started. It opened on a scene of Drax's character punching a guy to death intercut with scenes of the same character living happily with a wife and daughter. Predictably, they end up getting killed in the flashback early on which becomes the motivation for the main character's killing spree. The action is good, but the main villain is lackluster. Especially when compared to Drax who, turns out, is a pretty decent actor. For this kind of role anyway.

Thor's focus on the film wavers when he feels Quill's hand on his. Was Quill really trying to make a move during an action film? Thor held back a chuckle and then leaned over to whisper in Quill's ear. "You know, that sort of thing would probably have worked better during a romance film."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to see the romance film," Quill muttered back quietly. "Should I stop?"

"Nope," Thor said, interlocking his fingers with Quill's. If Loki hadn't just reminded Thor to hold back, he probably would have tried doing something that'd escalate the situation. However, with Loki's warning ringing loud and clear in his head, he let it end there. They just held hands as they watched the rest of the film together. At the very end of the film, Drax's character was abducted by aliens for no apparent reason. Nowhere in the narrative did they previously establish that twist so Thor was left completely confounded.

"Well, that was... something," Loki said curtly, before getting up from his seat. "I'm going to go get a refill on my popcorn. You two catch up when you're ready." He gave Thor a nod and then left the theater.

"The action sequences were good," Thor said, leaning back in his chair and looking at Quill.

"I mean, that's what you go see a Drax movie for," Quill said sheepishly, "that ending was weird though, right?"

"Totally weird. Not sure how they got that past the test audiences."

"There's no way the test audience didn't comment on it. They probably said screw it and did whatever the hell they wanted despite the feedback they got."

"You know, I respect that," Thor chuckled. "Anyway, Quill... It occurs to me that I never actually asked you to be my boyfriend. I don't want to pressure you so if you don't want to or if you're undecided that's--"

"I want to," Quill said quickly. He hesitated for a second and cleared his throat before restating the sentiment, "I want to be your boyfriend. Defining things like that'd actually clears up a lot of things for me."

Looked like Loki was right. Thor was glad his brother was on his side for this relationship. "Then it's official," Thor grinned, "you're my boyfriend and I'm yours."

\---------------------

Tony graded homework while Jessica sat at the table across from him and scoured the internet for information. He'd tempted her over with the usual offer of alcohol and threw in a pizza for good measure. They'd downed a good majority of it without actually saying a word to each other. Still, Tony enjoyed her presence and her distinct lack of expectations.

"Find anything good?" Tony asked, finally breaking their silence as he finished up the last bit of his work.

"Possibly," Jessica answered, keeping her eyes on the screen of her laptop computer, "assuming my speculating is on the right track."

"Need someone to bounce ideas off of?"

Jessica considered him for a moment before saying, "I guess it couldn't hurt." She turned her laptop towards him and started scrolling through an article she had pulled up. "So, the way I see it, the one who profited most from Odin going to jail was his daughter, Hela. But she just spent the last five years in prison. It would have been hard for her to set up something by herself."

"So you're thinking she was working with someone?"

"That's what makes the most sense to me right now," Jessica said with a nod, "I need to do more digging though. I'll have to talk to Thor and see if he can get me access to the company's security camera footage."

"I don't know how much that will help. Hela's in charge now, right? She could have gotten rid the footage."

"Maybe. But sometimes a lack of something is just as telling as the actual thing."

"H-hold on! You can't just barge in there!" came Happy's voice from outside the room. While the man was officially employed as Tony's chauffeur, Happy did hang around the house and take care of some butler-esque duties such as answering the door. It looked like whoever he let in wasn't going to wait for Tony's permission to see him.

Seconds later, the door opened and Pepper stepped into the room with a distraught Happy following behind.

"Sir, I'm sorry--"

"It's alright, Happy. You can go," Tony said, eyes focused on Pepper. Happy took a deep breath, nodded, and left the room as Tony got up from his seat. He straightened his stance and said a curt, "Pepper."

"Tony," Pepper said, matching Tony's tone. "I see you've moved on. Congratulations, I suppose."

"It's not like that. Jessica is just..."

"You're really going to try and tell me that you're just friends?"

"We're not that either," Jessica said, biting into a slice of pizza. "If you came here for a reason I suggest you get to the point because if you keep implying that I'm some kind of whore I'll take this chair and shove it up your ass."

"Charming," Pepper said with a wry smile, "but she does have a point. Why elongate my suffering by delaying the point? Morgan's birthday. We're throwing a party for her this weekend and, as much as I would like to tell you to stay away, you are still her father. So, if you want to show up on Saturday, I guess you're welcome to."

"Yeah. Alright."

"Okay then. I guess I'll see you there," Pepper said, turning on her heel and marching towards the door.

"Pepper," Tony called after her.

"What, Tony?"

"Nevermind."

Pepper sighed and left. 

Tony was irritated with himself. Was it really that hard to give her a simple apology? He knew it wouldn't make things right between them, but it would have been a start.

"She is way too good for you," Jessica commented.

"Yeah, I know," Tony said before turning in Jessica's direction. "Would you want to go as my plus one?"

"To a child's birthday party? Hell no."

"I can't face her and Bruce on my own," Tony said, staring her down with a serious expression on his face. He didn't ask her to reconsider in words, but the implication was there.

Jessica considered him for a moment. Tony could tell that she really did not want to go. Still, in the end, she relented for his sake. "I want the last slice of pizza," she said, "and you owe me better alcohol next time."


	14. Chapter 14

Peter was stuffing his textbook in his locker when Shuri came up beside him and started working on the lock to her own locker. "Hey, Parker," she said, "no Ned today? Usually the two of you are attached at the hip."

"Ah. Hi, Shuri. And, um, Ned had some stuff to do after class today so..." Peter trailed off and ended up staring at her for a second longer than was appropriate. Catching himself, he turned away and blushed. "H-how's your project coming along?"

"It's coming along rather nicely," Shuri said with a smile, "how about yours?"

"It's going well," Peter answered. "Um, Shuri, about what my brother said..."

"Don't tell me you're backing down? I kind of liked the idea of a bit of a challenge."

"Really?"

"Really. A little competition is a healthy way for all of us to better ourselves. So be sure to give it your all, okay, Parker?"

"Okay," Peter smiled. Shuri closed her locker and was about to leave when Peter worked up the nerve to ask her something else, "are you, uh, planning to go to that school dance at the end of the month?"

"I don't know," Shuri said, "I guess it just depends on if the right person asks me to go."

"Cool," Peter said, leaning against his locker in an attempt to look casual. He didn't quite succeed at it. While Peter realized this was where he was supposed to ask her to go with him, he couldn't bring himself to say the words. Thus, the conversation just hung awkwardly in the air.

"Well, see you around, Parker," Shuri said finally. She adjusted the strap of the backpack hanging off her shoulder and moved on, leaving Peter feeling like an idiot.

\---------------------

"Someone seems happy today," Darcy said, catching Quill between serving customers at the diner. "Did you take my advice and finally seal the deal with Thor?"

Quill sighed. He was really going to have to give her the satisfaction, wasn't he? It wasn't like he'd taken her advice because she gave it to him, but he knew Darcy wouldn't see it that way. "Maybe," Quill admitted quietly.

"Seriously?" Darcy asked excitedly, "How was it? Were you on top or on the bottom?"

"W-we haven't done anything like that!" Quill stammered. He seriously needed to take a minute to reassess why he was friends with Darcy at some point. "We just agreed to start dating officially. That's all. Also, I will never answer that question."

"You're no fun," Darcy grumbled, "but I am happy for you. Congratulations. Now Scott can date Gamora without making things weird."

"What?" Quill asked, totally blindsided by Darcy's comment. Nearby, Scott dropped a plate.

"It's not what you think!" Scott said as he hurried over, clearly flustered. "I'm not dating Gamora. That's all just a big misunderstanding."

"What's there to misunderstand? You told Thor that you love Gamora straight to his face," Darcy said.

"That was because she wanted me to. She wanted to make Thor jealous," Scott frantically explained. He turned to Quill with a desperate look on his face. "Quill, I know how you feel about her and I would never do that to you. Please, you have to believe me."

"I do," Quill said, relaxing. What had he gotten all worked up for in the first place? Even if Scott had been seeing Gamora behind his back... It would have hurt, but Quill would have still tried to be friends with Scott. "But if you like her, you shouldn't hold back on my account."

Scott was too stunned to give Quill a proper reply.

"Gamora was really good with Cassie. You might make a good couple, you know?" Quill suggested. It did hurt a little to say those things, but they were true. And when Quill decided to date Thor, he'd also decided to give up on Gamora. An actual commitment had been what he needed to get himself to draw a line between them. "I've made up my mind to try and make things work with Thor so... You should do what's best for you."

"You're really okay with that?" Scott asked seriously.

"Yeah. No matter what, you're one of my best friends."

"Me too, right?" Darcy asked with a grin.

"Sometimes," Quill responded somewhat coldly.

"Heeeey."

"Fine. Yes, you're one of my best friends too."

"Oh, look!" Darcy said, pointing to the entrance. Thor had just entered the diner. "Your boyfriend is here to pick you up. Try not to make out with him too much."

Quill wished he hadn't told Darcy anything.

\---------------------

"So, how'd things go with your father?" Quill asked, once him and Thor were both in the car.

"He seems to be holding up okay," Thor said with a sigh, "he still won't talk to anyone though. I told him that I hired a private investigator and he told me I was wasting my time."

"I know you don't want to consider the possibility, but what if he is guilty?" Quill asked.

"He's not," Thor said firmly.

Quill avoided pushing the issue. He'd like that to be true, but he wasn't as confident as Thor. "Then I guess we have to figure out why he'd be okay accepting the charges against him."

"It's one of several things we have to figure out," Thor said with a nod. He went quiet for a bit before adding, "Jessica asked me to see if I could get the company's security camera footage."

"That might not be easy," Quill said. "If Hela hasn't banned you from the company grounds you might be able to get your hands on it without her knowing about it though."

"Actually... I was thinking I'd just ask her for the footage."

"Ah." That was a surprise.

"That's a stupid idea though, isn't it?"

"It's not one I would have come up with," Quill admitted, "but... if that's what your gut is telling you to do then maybe that's what you should do."

"What if it just tips her off to what we're doing though?"

"If she has something to hide, she's probably already done something about that footage. She probably won't lose anything by showing it to us. And if we go after it without her permission and get caught, we could get thrown in jail too. So, maybe there is some merit to just asking for it."

"Then should we go see Hela?" Thor asked, an undercurrent of nervousness in his tone.

"Yeah," Quill said, taking a deep breath. This was crazy, but he'd somehow managed to talk himself into it. "Let's go see Hela."

\---------------------

Quill took a deep breath as Thor knocked on the door. Best case scenario, Hela would let them in without any issues. Worst case scenario, she'd sick Fenris on them. He really wished that worst case scenario seemed less likely in his head. A few seconds passed before Hela herself opened the door. "I didn't think you'd show your face around here again so soon," Hela said with an amused smile, "and I see you brought your... friend, is it?"

"Boyfriend, actually," Thor corrected automatically, "can we just talk for a minute, Hela?"

"I thought that's what we were doing," she replied, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe.

"Hela..."

"Fine," she sighed as she stepped out of the way, "come in and make yourself comfortable. The couch belongs to Fenris though so don't get any ideas." Thor and Quill stepped into the living room and took a seat in a couple of arm chairs that faced the couch Fenris was curled up on. Hela placed herself next to him and let the wolf like dog rest his head on her lap. "Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"I want access to the company's security camera footage," Thor said bluntly.

"Ah. Trying to investigate, are we?" Hela asked, "I suppose I should have assumed that'd be the case. You always did believe in father the most. Then again, there was a time I believed in him too." She pat Fenris on the head and added, "you can have access to whatever you'd like."

"You mean that?"

"I do," Hela said, "I'll make the proper calls once we're done here to let everyone know you're allowed to do as you please. Now, was that all?"

"I'd like to talk with mother for a bit too."

"Fine. Your boyfriend can keep me company while we wait for you."

Thor hesitated. Quill knew he'd had no intention of leaving him with Hela. Still, Quill gave him an encouraging nod and said, "I'll be fine."

"I'm not going to eat him," Hela added, using a hand gesture to shoo Thor away. Thor gave Quill one last look before heading upstairs to his mother's room. "So," Hela started as soon as Thor was out of sight, "you are dating my brother."

"I am," Quill said, keeping his answer short.

"That's all well and good, but I hope you're not making any long term plans."

"And why is that?"

"Because, even if you and Thor fail to get Odin out of jail, he will eventually be released once he serves his time. All of this is temporary, unfortunately," Hela said with a careless shrug. 

"I don't see what that has to do with my relationship with Thor."

"Well, you see, while father is content to let Thor fool around as he pleases, he does have plans regarding who his favorite son will actually end up with. And it's not you. You aren't nearly rich and powerful enough."

"So? Even if that's true, Thor doesn't have to go along with it."

"You're right about that much. Honestly, I don't see going through with his arranged marriage either," Hela said. Wait. An arranged marriage? Thor hadn't mentioned anything about that. Quill considered the possibility that all of this was a ploy to get under his skin, but he still figured it was something he should probably ask Thor about later. Hela turned her attention back to Fenris as she continued,"but that doesn't mean that father will let him get out of it without consequences." Hela went quiet for a moment before asking, "do you know why I was in jail for five years?"

"Because you beat someone. Badly."

"I did. He wasn't the first though. Far from it, actually. You see, in the past I beat people on a regular basis and it was all for father," Hela said, "whenever he needed someone to do something to benefit his company, he sent me to 'convince' them. The truth about our wealth is that the majority of it is built on blood and lies."

"Why would you tell me any of that? You know you're incriminating yourself, right?"

"And who is going to believe you?" Hela asked with a laugh, "it's not like you have any proof. Just try telling Thor. I dare you. He won't listen to anything that paints dear old dad in a bad way. Anyway, my point is the documents the police got their hands on only begin to scratch the surface of our father's shady dealings. Odin does not play by the rules. You might want to think twice about crossing him."

"Or else you'll do his dirty work?"

"No. Not me," Hela said solemnly, "I'm done being his scapegoat."

"Then..." Quill trailed off as he heard Thor start coming back down the stairs.

"Ah, it seems your boyfriend is finally here to rescue you from my evil clutches," Hela chuckled. She turned to Thor and added, "don't worry. I didn't abuse him too much."

Thor looked to Quill for reassurance. "Yeah. It wasn't so bad," Quill said, not sure what else to say. Hela was right about at least one thing: Thor wouldn't believe anything bad about his dad. There was no point in trying to tell him what she'd said.

"Thank you for having us, Hela," Thor said with a certain formality in his tone.

"You're welcome," Hela responded, "don't make coming by a habit though."

"Trust me. You don't have to worry about that," Thor said bluntly.

Hela smiled, but something about it registered as a little sad to Quill.


	15. Chapter 15

"It's been awhile since we actually had a study session," Thor commented as him, Loki, and Quill sat around the table set up in Quill's bedroom.

"Yeah, well, a lot has been going on," Loki said, "I think we can be forgiven. Of course, our grades won't exactly reflect that if we don't get back on track."

"I don't know how far we'll get without Peter though," Quill sighed.

"Look, we don't actually need Peter. We're grown adults. Surely between the three of us we can figure this out," Loki said, "besides, Peter and Ned are hard at work on their science project. Interrupting them is not an option."

Their morale raised, the three of them took a look at the first problem. They managed to struggle their way through that one and a couple more before getting stuck on the 6th question. They stared at it for a full half hour before admitting they were out of their depth. "Maybe we should come back to that one?" Quill asked.

"It's going to haunt me forever if we do that," Loki said. He took a second to think things through before picking up his textbook and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Thor asked.

"I know what I said about not interrupting the two of them, but forget that," Loki explained as he left the room. As he walked down the hallway he shouted, "Peter, I need you!"

"So much for doing it ourselves," Quill sighed, placing his head on the table in a defeated manner.

"It's a good thing I'm not a science major," Thor said.

"Oh yeah. I never asked. What are you majoring in?" Quill asked, perking up slightly.

"Business. It's what my dad wanted me to focus on and I didn't have a better idea so I just went with it. How about you?"

"Theater."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It was kind of a half assed decision since I have no idea what I actually want to do, but it sounded like it could be kind of fun. Honestly, I didn't plan to go to college in the first place. But Yondu surprised me and said he'd been saving up for me to go and I kind of ended up going along with it because I didn't want to disappoint him."

"Do you regret it?"

"No," Quill said, "the classes are kind of fun, even if they're really hard. Also... I got to meet you. And to think, the only reasons I picked our Physics class is because I needed to satisfy a science credit and because it was at the best time for me."

"Those were my exact reasons for picking it as well," Thor said with a chuckle.

"Go figure, huh?" Quill smiled, "hey, when next semester rolls around, do you want to try and take some of the same classes together. Obviously, you'll have to take some more business related ones and I'll actually have to start signing up for theater classes, but we could probably at least have one shared one."

"Or maybe I can switch my major to theater as well and we can take all the same classes."

"I'm sure your dad would be thrilled about that."

"So? He gave the company to Hela. Who cares if I know how to run a business or not?"

"I doubt he'll see it that way," Quill commented. Now that they were sort of on the subject, Quill figured he'd better ask. He wasn't going to get many opportunities as ideal as this. "Hey, Thor... Hela said that your dad arranged a marriage for you. Is that true?"

"Ah. She mentioned that, huh? It is true. Dad wants to marry a girl named Sif. She's sweet and we've been friends since childhood, but I've never wanted her to be my wife," Thor said. "I'm fine going along with most of what my father wants for me, but who I end up with is my decision alone. And, if it wasn't already obvious, that's you. You're my choice."

"Ugh. I still don't get how you can say cheesy stuff like that and still sound cool," Quill muttered, blushing slightly.

"It's all about conviction," Thor chuckled. "The real question is: was I suave enough to get a kiss?"

Before Quill could answer, Loki burst into the room. "I got the information we needed," Loki said proudly. 

Thor sighed and then gave his brother a weak smile. "Our hero."

"Loki," Quill said, keeping his eyes fixed on Thor, "I need you to leave the room and give us five minutes."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I need to make out with your brother and if you don't leave now I'm going to do it with you standing there."

"Okay then," Loki said, turning on his heel and exiting the room as quickly as he entered.

"Are you sure about this?" Thor asked with a grin.

"Just shut up and kiss me," Quill said.

Thor got up from his seat and scooted around the edge of the table as Quill did the same. Once they met in the middle, Thor pulled Quill closer and kissed him. It was energetic, passionate, and playful all at the same time. Quill wouldn't have it any other way.

\---------------------

"So, I've been exiled for five minutes," Loki said, reentering Peter's room. He felt a little bad about pestering Peter and Ned again so soon, but the situation had been dire. He needed a distraction to get the disturbing of image of his brother making out with Quill out of his head. "Is there anything quick I can help you two with?"

"No. It's fine," Peter said. The way he said it clearly sent the message that it wasn't fine though. For a second, Loki thought Peter was mad at him. Then, he realized that wasn't the case. He was mad at someone else. "Ned was just leaving anyway."

"Really, dude?" Ned asked, clearly frustrated, "that's how it's going to be?"

"Just get out."

Without a word, Ned picked up his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and left the room. Loki stood there stunned for a moment before finally settling on a reaction. "What the hell was that?"

"Nothing," Peter muttered, flopping onto his bed and staring at the ceiling.

"That was not nothing. He is your best friend."

"Not anymore."

"What could he have done that was so bad in the few seconds I left you two alone?"

"He told me that he asked Shuri to go to the dance with him," Peter mumbled, "and that she said yes."

Loki sighed. Girls really were more trouble than they were worth. He took a seat next to Peter and said, "that sucks. And I'm sorry you missed out, but you shouldn't take it out on your friend. He likes her too. Do you really think it was fair for you to expect him to not do anything about it?"

"No," Peter said quietly. He hesitated for a moment and then added, "I had a chance to ask her out and I blew it. I just... If I wasn't such a coward..." Peter's eyes started to tear up. He quickly turned away from Loki so he wouldn't see, but it was a little late for that.

"Well, all I can say is learn from it," Loki said, patting Peter on the shoulder, "maybe because you had this setback now you won't hesitate the next time it matters." Peter didn't reply so Loki went on, "I know it probably seems like the end of the world now, but you're young and you'll have more opportunities in the future."

"That's just what people say."

"They say it because it's true-- even if the listener never wants to actually hear it."

"What do you know about it?"

"Well, I don't actually have any dating experience, but I have had my fair share of crushes," Loki started, "the thing about them though is that after enough time passed I'd look back on them and wonder what the hell I actually liked about them. The older you get, the stupider you realize your past self was."

"By that logic you should never date anyone."

"It's worked well enough for me so far," Loki said with a shrug. "You don't need some grand romance to make your life fulfilling. Things like a friend, or in my case a brother, can do the trick just as easily. So, make up with Ned the next time you see him, alright?"

"...alright."

"And try to be happy for him. Getting a girlfriend probably isn't easy for someone like him when he constantly has to compete with his good looking best friend."

"Hold on. Am I supposed to be the good looking best friend?" Peter asked, turning over to face Loki.

"Duh. Did you think you were hideous or something?" Loki asked, "you may be a complete nerd, but you're 100% the type that teenage girls would consider a heartthrob. Even if you did something dumb and embarrassing, they'd probably just end up thinking it was adorable. There is absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to land yourself a cute girlfriend before this dance thing."

"But I wanted to go with Shuri..."

"Too bad. That ship has sailed," Loki said strictly, "now pull yourself together and let's figure out plan B."

\---------------------

Jessica looked over her text messages. She knew that she shouldn't be thinking about work right now, but she hated that she'd had to delay checking the security footage because she'd agreed to go to this stupid party with Tony. There wasn't even any alcohol. That, of course, made sense seeing as she was attending a child's birthday party, but the high pitched screams of children running around the backyard made her want some more than ever. She did have to hand it to Pepper though. Between the bouncy house and the live pony, the woman had gone all out to make sure that her kid's party was special.

Jessica felt something tug on her pants and looked down to see a little girl with dark hair staring up at her. "Hello there," she attempted, using the sweet voice she usually reserved for her deception attempts.

The girl simply continued staring.

"You have to give me something to work with, kid. I can't just guess what's on your mind."

"You have to help dad," she said, pointing towards the house.

Jessica looked up to see Tony and Pepper bickering through the window. Jessica sighed. She should have never let him go off on his own. "You're Morgan, right?" she asked. The kid nodded. Jessica pat her on the head and said, "don't worry. I'll handle it."

Jessica put her phone away and headed towards the house. The second she entered, she heard shouting. Bruce was trying to calm the situation down, but he was too quiet about it. Neither Pepper nor Tony paid any attention to him. "Hey," Jessica shouted, approaching the three of them.

"Oh, great. Jessica," Pepper said, rolling her eyes, "come to threaten us?"

"No. I came to remind you that today is not about either of you. If you two don't stop right now, the thing Morgan is going to remember the most about her birthday is you two arguing."

That shut the two of them up. Now they'd think twice before getting into another spat.

Her job done, Jessica headed for the back door. Before she exited however, she gestured to Bruce and added, "also, you should really listen to this guy more. He has the right idea. He just isn't enough of an asshole to knock you two down a peg."

Morgan met her outside. "What does asshole mean?"

Oh boy. Well, there was no taking it back now. "It means jerk," Jessica explained, crouching down to Morgan's level, "do me a favor and try not to say it around your parents, alright?"

"It's a bad word, isn't it?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"It is. Which is why you didn't hear it from me, got it?"

Morgan nodded.

"Good girl."

\---------------------

Pepper crossed her arms and stared at the floor. The shame on her face was clear as day.

"Pepper," Tony said gently. His tone was a far cry from what it was seconds ago when they'd been arguing.

"How could I have forgotten that?" Pepper asked herself, wiping her eyes as tears started to form. "How did I get to the point where I hate you so much that I forgot to act like a civilized person in front of my daughter? I used to love you. I used to love you so much."

"It's because you loved me," Tony said. Bruce shifted awkwardly, but didn't say anything. Tony was grateful for that. He needed to have this moment with Pepper. "It's because you loved me with everything you had and I threw that away for a chance to get laid. I betrayed you and you... You reacted the way anyone would," Tony said sadly. "And I had the nerve to pretend that you were the bad guy for giving up on us. I was the one who gave up on us. Pepper, I'm sorry."

The tears Pepper had been holding back flowed freely now. Bruce stepped forward and took her into a hug. She hugged him back and leaned into his shoulder.

"And Bruce, I owe you an apology too," Tony continued, "my actions put you in an awkward spot and... Well, with you being you, it was only natural that you'd be there for Pepper. On top of being a terrible husband, I was a terrible friend."

Bruce looked Tony's way. His expression was complicated, but Tony read a sense of gratitude in it. As if he was grateful that some semblance of his old friend had finally made an appearance.

"I don't know if you two can ever forgive me. Honestly, you probably shouldn't. But... just know that I wish you both the best," Tony managed. He hadn't thought he was ready to let go, but as he said the words, Tony felt a sense of peace overcome him. This was right. Bruce was the kind of guy Pepper deserved. A gentle man who'd never give Pepper a reason to doubt his affection. It had to be him. Not Tony.

\---------------------

"How'd it go after I left?" Jessica asked, riding in the passenger's seat of Tony's car after the party. They were currently on there way over to the Asgard Institute to check out the security camera footage with Thor. It was getting pretty late in the evening at this point, but Jessica and Thor had both been eager to take a look.

"Well, actually. Things are better than they have been in a long time," Tony admitted honestly. He turned to look at Jessica for a moment as he said, "and I have you to thank for that."

"You have Morgan to thank for that, actually. She's the one who asked for my help."

"You're still the bad ass who stepped into the middle of our shit and ended the war with a few sentences."

"Yeah, well, the intervention seemed long overdue." Jessica shifted in her seat and looked out the window.

"Jessica," Tony said, breaking up the silence that had settled between the two, "I think I love you."

Jessica laughed.

"It's not a joke."

The humor on Jessica's face instantly vanished, replaced by a frown. "Don't get weird on me, Stark. We have a good thing going."

"And I think we could have a better thing going."

"Tony..." Jessica sighed, "you just had a fight with your ex-wife. I don't think you're in the right mind set to be making these kind of decisions right now."

"Fine. That's probably fair. But what excuse are you going to use when I tell you the same thing tomorrow? Or the day after that?"

Jessica blushed slightly and turned away from Tony. She let silence be her answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, sorry to all you folks who were already on board the Shuri x Peter ship. I like that ship too (and will probably make it cannon in some future fanfic I write), but it for the purposes of this fanfic it was a fake out. :P But hey, Ned needs love too, right? (Please don't hate me.)


	16. Chapter 16

Thor, Quill, Jessica, and Tony all crowded around the computer as they went through the security footage. They started with the night of the police raid and slowly worked their way backwards. Nothing overtly suspicious happened, but Jessica did flag the sleeping security guard as something she wanted to look into. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else to go on.

"That security guard is the one that let us in, right?" Quill commented as Jessica froze the frame.

"He is," Jessica said, "you guys keep looking for anything suspicious. I'm going to go have a chat with him real quick."

"Need some company?" Tony asked.

"No," Jessica said, brushing him off. "Looking through the footage is the most helpful thing you can do right now." With that, Jessica left the room and headed to the security gate where the guard was standing watch.

"Oh, hey. All done in there?" the man asked, a friendly smile on his face.

"Not quite. I did want to ask you a couple of questions though," Jessica said. She took a look at the guard's name tag and added, "if that's okay with you, Luis."

"I don't see why not. Ask away."

"There's some footage of you falling asleep at your station."

"Ah, yeah. That. I was afraid you'd ask about that. Not my finest moment, you know? I'm lucky Ms. Hela is a cool boss or I probably would have been fired after that fiasco."

"What happened anyway? Were you just tired?"

"That's the weird thing!" Luis started, eyes wide, "so, the day before all that happened, I got this new mattress. One of those ones where they guarantee that you'll sleep better than ever or you get your money back. You see, I've always been a bit skeptical but my cousin--"

"Can we move this story forward a bit?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sure. Of course," Luis said, "I guess the point I was trying to get at is that I wasn't tired at all. I was kind of on guard too since I'd heard some kind of noise earlier that night."

"Did anything happen between hearing that noise and you falling asleep?"

"No. I just drank my coffee and worked on my crossword puzzle for a bit."

Jessica was playing around with the idea that Luis might have been drugged. It'd be hard to prove that was the case though with their current footage. "I appreciate the help," Jessica said, ending her current line of questioning.

"No problem. If you've got any more questions, you know where to find me."

Jessica headed back to the security room and met up with the others. "Find anything?"

"No," Thor said with a sigh. "Any luck on your side of things?"

"Probably not," Jessica said, leaning over and taking the controls. She found the window of time that Luis was talking about and kept her eyes focused on Luis' coffee cup. If someone really did mess with it then maybe... She saw it. The coffee cup moved ever so slightly to the left. She went back a few seconds and played the clip again, to make sure she wasn't just seeing what she wanted to see. "Look here," Jessica said, pointing out the difference to the others on the third go around.

"The coffee cup moved," Thor commented.

"Yeah," Jessica said, "this footage has been tampered with."

"What can we do with that information though? It's not like we could prove it's connected to the documents they found," Quill pointed out.

"You're right about that much. It's a small lead, but... This took a considerable amount of skill. I think this was done live. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered drugging Luis. That means that the person we're looking for is a professional hacker," Jessica said, "if they already have a criminal record, that might be enough to get us somewhere."

"I can see what Jarvis digs up," Tony mentioned.

"It couldn't hurt," Jessica said with a shrug. It would probably be faster than running all the internet searches herself-- not that she wasn't going to do that anyway. "It'd be nice if we had access to the police database for things like this."

"I can get access," Thor piped up. The other three stared at him. "At least, I think I know someone who can get access."

\---------------------

"So that's where you'd come in," Thor finished explaining as he sat across from T'Challa. Thor was by himself today as Jessica and Tony were busy running their own searches and Quill... Well, Thor thought it would be best if Quill stayed home to avoid any friction between him and T'Challa. After all, Thor was trying to ask for a pretty big favor here.

"Let me get this straight," T'Challa said, taking a deep breath and leaning forward in his seat, "you want me to abuse my position as Wakandan royalty to get the CIA to grant me access to the police database by pretending that they'll have an international incident on their hands if they don't provide their assistance?"

"It sounds really bad when you put it that way," Thor admitted, "but I really do need your help. This is the only lead we have."

T'Challa sighed.

"I can put in a good word with Rogers."

"I am perfectly capable of doing my own flirting, thank you very much."

"Of course," Thor said quickly, "I didn't mean to imply you weren't. I just figured I'd owe you one if you do end up doing this for me."

"You'll owe me more than one, I think," T'Challa said with a small smile.

"True enough."

T'Challa leaned back in his chair and gave the situation some more thought before coming to his conclusion. "I will give Everett Ross a call and see what I can do, but I will not be deceitful about it. He can decide what he's willing to share with us."

"Thanks, T'Challa."

"You're welcome," T'Challa said, getting up from his seat and going for his phone, "say anything to Steve though and our friendship is over."

"Understood."

\---------------------

Quill headed to the kitchen to look for something to snack on. All this waiting was making him a bit stir crazy. He knew why it wasn't a good idea for him to go with Thor to T'Challa's place, but he still wished he could have gone too. At least then he might have felt useful. Staying behind and doing nothing while the others were hard at work didn't feel right.

Quill's thoughts were cut short when he accidentally stubbed his toe on the trash can. Seriously? How long had he lived here? How could he go and forget where the trash can was? As he was cursing himself, he noticed an unopened letter resting at the bottom of it. Normally, he'd pay it no mind. Yondu and May threw away junk mail all the time. But this wasn't junk mail-- at least, it wasn't junk mail addressed to them. This particular letter was addressed to Quill. Quill had been under the impression that Yondu had been giving him all the mail that was addressed to him. This letter was proof to the contrary.

Quill dug it out and opened it immediately.

_Peter,_

_I don't blame you for not replying to my letters. I know I have a lot to answer for. I wasn't there for you when you needed me and that is something I will never be able to change. Still, I keep writing in the hopes that maybe one day you'll be able to forgive me._

Forgive? Who was he supposed to forgive? Quill looked at the bottom of the letter and read the last bit.

_Your loving father,_

_Ego_

Quill froze, his head in a daze. His father? As in his actual biological father? Quill had long given up on the idea of ever meeting his real dad, but now... Ego wanted to meet him. And he had wanted to meet him for awhile now. How many letters had he sent? And why did Yondu keep them from him?

Quill went back to his room and shut the door behind him. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. He was definitely shocked. Angry too. Sad maybe? And... maybe just a little bit hopeful. Settling on just one emotion was impossible. Quill took a deep breath and stared at the letter. It took him a full ten minutes to work up the nerve to read the whole thing.

\---------------------

Thor had come through after all. Jessica scrolled through the e-mail she'd just been sent and read through the names. Some of them matched up with the ones she'd been able to find herself, but there were a few of interest that she had yet to look into. "Rocket Raccoon," Jessica read before looking over her own notes. He was local to the area. It had been awhile since he'd been in jail, but that didn't necessarily mean he'd stopped living a life of crime.

There was a knock at the door. Jessica looked up from her computer and took note of the familiar outline. "You can come in, Trish."

"You really should keep your door locked, Jess," Trish said as she entered the room. "At least you fixed your door though."

"Danny fixed it," Jessica corrected.

"Well, I'll just have to thank him for you later since you won't do it yourself."

"Did you need something, Trish?"

"I came to see if you'd be interested in going out to dinner."

"I'm kind of busy with a case right now."

"Come on," Trish said, "I'd only be stealing you away for an hour. Two at most. You can afford to spare that much time for your sister, right? It's been forever since we've caught up."

Jessica sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Please, Jessica."

"Fine. Alright. I'll go," Jessica said, getting up from her chair and grabbing her coat. She supposed the free food would be worth it. Also, Trish was right. It had been awhile. Jessica shut down her computer and then headed to the door. Trish left first and ended up running straight into Tony Stark.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I--" Trish stopped short, eyes going wide.

To Jessica's surprise, so did Tony's.

"Hello, Tony," Trish finally managed, blushing a bright red, "this is kind of awkward, isn't it?"

"Awkward? Why is this awkward?" Jessica asked, gaze flitting between the two as she attempted to come up with a logical explanation as to why these two knew each other. They were both celebrities, but Tony was in a different league than Trish when it came to fame. Still, maybe...

Tony took a deep breath and came clean, "she's the one I cheated on Pepper with."


	17. Chapter 17

Tony let out a deep breath and adjusted the way he was sitting as he waited in front of Jessica's door. He'd messed up. Bad. Then again, what else was he supposed to do? He'd slept with Trish. That was a fact. If he'd lied to Jessica now, it would have just come back to haunt him later. Still, the disdain on Jessica's face when he told her... He'd already destroyed one relationship over his fuck up and now he was on the verge of destroying another-- assuming that one wasn't already destroyed too.

Tony looked up as the elevator at the end of the hall opened. Jessica hesitated for a moment when she saw him, but then made up her mind to approach him. Once she was a few feet away, she sighed and said, "go home, Stark."

"I can't," he said, getting up, "not until I apologize."

"For screwing my sister?"

"Yeah."

"Forget it. You're both adults. You can do what you want."

"But where does that leave us?"

"The same place we always were. Nowhere."

"Jessica..."

"I don't want to look at your face right now. Do you get that?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed, "yeah, I do." He reached down and pulled a manila folder off the floor. It contained print outs of the most relevant data Jarvis had managed to pull up. It had been his reason-- or rather, excuse-- for coming by in the first place. "Here's the stuff I managed to find. I hope it helps."

"Thanks," Jessica said, keeping her tone professional.

"Anytime," Tony replied. He turned to leave, but then stopped. He had to say something. Anything. Because if he didn't, he got the feeling she'd cut him out of her life completely. "Jessica," he said, turning back towards her, "I meant what I said. You may never want to see me again, but I'll never stop wanting to see you."

"Goodnight," Jessica said curtly. That said, she opened her door and stepped into her office, leaving Tony alone in the hallway.

\---------------------

Quill had been a little too quiet at dinner. At first, Thor tried to explain it away as his imagination, but the more he paid attention, the more he realized that something really was off. He waited until they were both alone in Quill's room to bring it up. "Is everything alright, Quill?" Thor asked.

"Huh? Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you hardly said three words at dinner."

"Really?" Quill was surprised it was that few.

"You can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?"

"I know that," Quill frowned, "I just... I don't know how I feel yet." He went over to the drawer where he was keeping the letter and pulled it out. In lieu of an explanation, he handed it to Thor.

"This is from your biological father?" Thor asked after skimming the letter.

"Supposedly," Quill said, "but Yondu never gave me the letter. I found it in the trash."

"What are you planning to do about it?"

"That's the question, isn't it? I don't know if I want to confront Yondu about it or go on pretending I never saw it. And regarding Ego... Do I actually want to meet him in the first place?" Quill took a seat on his bed and added, "of course, it's not like any of this matters right now anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Thor asked, peeking over the letter.

"We're in the middle of trying to help your dad. We don't have time to deal with my stuff."

Thor took a peek at the return address on the envelope as he said, "that's not true. I'm pretty sure we can do both." Quill looked at him questioningly so Thor explained himself, "Jessica will keep working on the case even if I'm not here. I wouldn't say your biological dad lives close by, but it's not like he's in another country. We could take an impromptu road trip."

"Road trips are expensive."

"I have money."

"That you shouldn't be spending."

"It's fine. Loki and I were talking about getting jobs. I figure I can start looking when we get back."

"But that's..."

"No buts. We'd have to do it eventually anyway. As much as I'd like to live here with you forever, we can't keep mooching off of your parents," Thor said firmly. Quill's face fell a bit at that comment. Thor couldn't be certain what Quill was thinking about, but he took comfort in the thought that maybe Quill wanted to keep their current arrangements too. "Anyway, I can cover the cost."

"That's not the only issue though. We have school and I have work."

"Look, I think all we'd need is three days-- one day to get there, one day to spend with your father, and one day to get home. We'd only miss one class during that time. Since we don't have any tests coming up, I think that's fine. I think Tony would understand too if we sent him an e-mail telling him what we're doing. As for work, you can get Scott or Darcy to take over your shift, right?"

"If we do it when our shifts don't overlap," Quill said. He still seemed a little unsure, but Thor saw that he was coming around to the idea. "Peter has that dance thing coming up. I'm supposed to drive him to it."

"We can take your car. I'll leave mine here and Loki can use it to take Peter to the dance."

"He'd be okay with that?"

"Loki hates driving, but he can deal with it for one night. I think he was planning to go out that night anyway. Something about doing something cultured that I wouldn't appreciate properly or something. He should be able to swing Peter by his school first."

"What do I tell my parents?"

"That we're eloping," Thor grinned.

That got a smile from Quill. "Seriously though?"

"Well, I think in this case it might be better to ask for forgiveness than permission," Thor said, "you might want to leave them a note though. Maybe tell them about the spontaneous road trip with me and leave out the father bit."

"This is crazy."

"But we can do it," Thor pointed out, "and if that's your last line of defense, I take it that you're out of excuses." Thor smiled and took Quill's hands into his. "So? What do you say? Want to go on a trip with me?"

"Yeah," Quill admitted, "but I'm still not sure about seeing my dad."

"Well, if we get there and you decide you don't want to, we'll just pick a museum or something and spend the day there instead. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Okay. I guess we're really going to do this," Quill said, taking a deep breath.

Thor knew the trip wasn't exactly about the two of them, but he was excited nonetheless. Three days with Quill. Two where he'd have him all to himself. The only thing that would have made this better was if his own father was out of jail. Leaving town like this made him feel a bit guilty, but Jessica was handling it. And Thor trusted her to get to the bottom of it.

\---------------------

Peter took a deep breath and walked into his high school. After his talk with Loki, he'd decided to apologize to Ned, but resolving to do so didn't make him feel any less awkward about it. He sighed and took a look at the crowds of people around him.

He saw MJ. She was talking to Liz Toomes. Peter still found it kind of funny that his previous two crushes were dating each other now. They were cute together though. He waved to the two of them. They smiled and waved back before returning to their conversation. The next person that caught Peter's attention was Flash Thompson. He gave the bully a wide berth. The rest of the students weren't people he knew well enough to address.

Peter still hadn't seen Ned by the time he reached his locker. He knew he'd have more opportunities later, but he'd wanted to get it out of the way. Now he'd be obsessing over it for the whole day. He sighed as Shuri walked over to him. "Hey, Parker, are you and Ned fighting?" she asked directly, a frown on her face.

"W-why? Did he say something?"

"He just seems really bummed out and I'm pretty sure I'm not the cause."

Peter sighed. "Yeah. It's my fault," he admitted, "I said some things I wish I could take back."

"Then go apologize to him," Shuri said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "What do you two have to fight about anyway? I'm sure it was over something petty."

"It didn't feel petty at the time."

"I'm sure it didn't, but get over it. Ned is your best friend. And I'm not going to accept you two fighting as an excuse for slacking off on your science project."

"I know," Peter said with a small smile. He knew he shouldn't ask, but he had to know. "Shuri..." he started, "if I had asked you to go to the dance with me before Ned did, would you have said yes?"

"Ah," Shuri said, putting the pieces together. She took a deep breath and then gave Peter an honest answer. "I like you, Peter, but I like Ned too. If you'd asked me first, I would have said yes, but you didn't."

Peter nodded. He was glad she'd been up front with him, but it did hurt knowing that his inaction really had cost him a relationship with Shuri.

"Is he bothering you?" Ned asked, charging onto the scene and coming between Peter and Shuri. If anything, Peter thought Ned looked a little panicked-- as if he thought Peter was trying to steal Shuri away from him.

"Not at all," Shuri responded cooly, "in fact, I think he has something he wants to say to you."

"I'm sorry," Peter said quickly, forcing the words out before he choked up. "Those things I said the other day... Can we just forget I ever said them?"

Ned raised an eyebrow. "That depends... Is me being with Shuri going to be a problem?"

"No," Peter said, "I mean, it'll probably still be a sore spot for awhile, but... I'm good. I'm happy for the two of you."

"Really?" Ned asked, his defenses down.

"Yeah. I just want my friend back."

"Then yeah," Ned said, taking Peter into a big bear hug. "We're totally cool again." Suddenly, Ned pulled back and took Peter by the shoulders. "But this means we still need to get you a date before the dance."

"I can ask some of my friends," Shuri asked, "I'm sure they'd be happy to go with you."

"You know what? I think I'm good," Peter said.

"What do you mean you're good?" Ned asked, "you aren't seriously thinking of attending the dance alone, are you?"

"Well, why not?" Peter asked with a shrug.

"Dances aren't really that fun if you're by yourself," Ned explained, "trust me, I know. You can't count on having one of those movie moments where you hook up with someone at the dance."

"Yeah, I know," Peter said, "I guess I just don't feel like forcing myself to find someone on such short notice."

"I think that's a good decision," Shuri said, "and Ned and I can keep you company for some of the dance."

"We will want some time to ourselves though, right?" Ned asked.

Shuri giggled and pressed her forhead against his as she said, "naturally."

"Then there's no way it can be completely bad, right?" Peter asked optimistically.

\---------------------

Jessica headed over to Rocket's trailer the next day on her own. All of the information she'd gathered so far pointed to him being the most likely suspect, but she still couldn't be sure. She had to talk with him and see if she could glean anything off of him. She knocked on the door. When he didn't answer, she knocked more insistently.

"What?" he growled, finally answering the door. He was clearly in the middle of cooking something. Or trying to cook something, judging by the smell.

"I need help with something," she said, working an angle, "I heard you were the person to go to."

"Well, you heard wrong," Rocket said, attempting to close the door. Jessica blocked it.

"I need help with something not strictly legal," Jessica muttered quietly.

"Yeah, well you really heard wrong then. I don't do that stuff anymore. Got a baby flora colossus to take care of now. It's forced me to go on the straight and narrow."

"I can pay you." Rocket's ears perked up. He was definitely interested in that. "How much to make it worth your while?"

"More than you have, toots."

He was probably right about that. Still, Jessica had an idea. It wasn't one she liked, but she didn't have another one at the moment. She pulled out her phone and made a video call to Tony. "Hey, babe," Jessica said, adjusting herself so that Rocket could peek at the screen. "You want to make up for your last fuck up, right? So... Say I wanted to buy something? You'd give me the money I asked for, right?"

"I would," Tony said. She could tell he wasn't completely sure what she was doing, but he did have the common sense to play along.

"That's all I needed," she said, ending the call.

"You're dating Tony Stark, huh?" Rocket asked, with an amused expression.

"As much as anyone dates Tony Stark," Jessica said, "but before he tosses me aside for the next girl, I plan on cashing in."

"That's cold," Rocket chuckled, "I respect that though." He slid the door open and said, "come on in. Let's talk business."


	18. Chapter 18

"Just, uh, take a seat wherever you can find one," Rocket said, gesturing to the rest of the trailer as he went to turn off the stove. The man seemed to have a hoarding problem seeing as most of his trailer was buried in random machine parts he probably got from the junk yard. Jessica moved a mysterious object off the couch and took a seat next to a baby flora colossus. Looks like he hadn't been kidding about that part.

"I am Groot," the little tree like entity said, staring up at her with wide eyes.

"Well, I am Jessica," Jessica responded. Groot smiled at her which made her feel a little guilty about what she was about to do.

"So, what kind of job did you have in mind?" Rocket asked, taking a seat across from them on top of a pile of junk.

"I want to know who hired you to sabotage the security camera footage at the Asgard Institute," Jessica said bluntly. She was done playing games now that she'd proven to herself that Rocket was still in the business.

"What the hell are you talking about, lady?"

"I'm guessing it wasn't personal for you. You're too mercenary for that. It was all about the money," Jessica went on. She hoped that she sounded like she had more than she actually did. "That means that you're not really the one I'm after."

"I think it's time for you to leave."

"You really don't want me to leave," Jessica said with a wry laugh, "because if I leave, I won't have another lead to follow up on. The best I'll be able to do is turn in the evidence I do have to the police. And guess what? The only one that evidence incriminates is you." Groot looked from Jessica to Rocket with a worried expression on his face. Jessica had to harden her heart as she pressed on, "give me the name of your employer and I'll leave you out of this."

Rocket looked at Groot. It was clear that Rocket cared about the little creature and that meant that she'd won. He wasn't going to risk jail time because he couldn't afford to leave Groot on his own. "Fine," Rocket said, frustration clear in his tone, "but you'd better keep your word and leave us out of it."

"I will. Believe it or not, leaving Groot here without some kind of guardian isn't my first choice," Jessica replied.

"You just want the big guy, right?"

"Right," Jessica said.

"Thanos," Rocket said grimly.

"Thanos?"

"Yeah. Rich guy, clean record. But that's just because he's never been caught," Rocket said, "he's trouble. More trouble than you're ready to handle."

"We'll see about that," Jessica replied, getting up from her seat.

"Hey, before you leave," Rocket called after her, "where did I mess up?"

"The coffee cup," Jessica said, "it's location changes just a little bit."

"I am Groot?" Groot asked sadly.

"Nah. It's okay, buddy. You did your best," Rocket said. He turned towards Jessica once more and added, "if you ever dump Stark, feel free to look me up."

"Seriously?"

"What? I've got a thing for bad ass women. Even if they did screw me over."

\---------------------

Scott had just finished a shift at the diner when Rocket gave him a call. "Hey, Rocket, what's up?" Scott asked.

"We have a bit of a problem," Rocket said, "a detective lady just dropped by and I may have ended up telling her about the guy who hired us. I'm going to take Groot and leave town for awhile. I didn't say anything about your involvement, but you might want to think about laying low for awhile."

"Seriously, Rocket?" Scott groaned, rubbing his forehead as he fought an oncoming headache. This was bad. Really bad. Even if he ended up being spared, there was no way this didn't come back to hurt Gamora. "Did you even think about Gamora and Nebula?"

"Of course I did," Rocket snapped back, "and for the record, I do like them. They're good girls. But I'm not going down for them. Groot is the one I have to look after."

That was fair. Scott probably would have made a similar call if Cassie was involved. And if he hadn't gotten to know Gamora. "I have to give them a heads up," Scott said.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Rocket said, "but do what you've got to do. Just remember, if you do tell them, whatever Thanos does with that information is on you."

"Shit," Scott cursed. One of the first things on Thanos' list would probably be to go after Rocket. "You said you were going to leave town?"

"Yeah. We're going to disappear. So don't worry about me and Groot."

Scott chewed his bottom lip nervously as he thought things over. He hadn't quite made up his mind as he said, "stay safe, Rocket."

"You too, Scott." That said, Rocket ended the call.

Scott pulled up Gamora's number on his phone and stared at it. He should give Rocket some time to get away, but then... He'd have to make a decision one way or the other.

\---------------------

"You two are really doing this then?" Loki asked, arms crossed as he watched Thor and Quill throw the last of their luggage into the trunk in the middle of the night. Everyone else in the house was fast asleep.

"We are," Thor said, "you'll make sure nobody worries too much?"

"And you'll take Peter to his dance?" Quill asked, peeking over the top of the car.

"Yes and yes," Loki said, "I still think you two are crazy though."

"Well, crazy or not, it's bound to be fun," Thor answered with a grin. "Anyway, take care, Loki."

"You too, brother," Loki said. He headed back towards the house as he added, "drive safe and keep Quill in one piece."

"What does he mean by that?" Quill asked once Loki was back inside.

"He assumes you'll be an emotional wreck after meeting your dad. Basically, he's worried about you which is actually really sweet when you remember that he hates most people," Thor explained as he got in the car.

Quill got in on the driver's side. "Well, he might have a point," Quill said, turning towards Thor, "I have no idea how I'll react when I meet him. So, yeah, I'm counting on you."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. No matter what happens, I'll get you through it."

Quill took a deep breath and nodded. Thor couldn't possibly know how much he appreciated that. "I guess there's no reason to delay then, huh?" Quill said, starting up the car. "Let's get this trip started."

\---------------------

Quill got a call from Yondu sometime in the morning. Using the excuse that he was driving, he had Thor answer the phone. He couldn't quite make out what his dad was saying, but he could tell that poor Thor was getting chewed out. Luckily, his partner in crime took it all with the patience of a saint.

"Sir, I understand your anger," Thor said calmly. This was met with some more shouting. "Uh huh. Yup. You'll kill me when you get your hands on me? Well, I hope you change your mind, but I accept that."

Quill smiled to himself.

"Nowhere in particular. I just thought it'd be fun to take a romantic trip somewhere. Oh, yes, that's right. I guess we never did tell you we were dating. I kind of thought it was obvious." There was a pause where May must have said something because Thor added, "see? May knew."

Of course May knew. She'd always been embarrassingly intuitive about that sort of thing.

"I don't think things will go that far, but yes. We'll be responsible about it."

Quill blushed a bit. They were talking about sex now, weren't they?

"Just three days. And don't worry. Loki can take Peter to the dance so you don't have to figure something else out." Another pause. "Yeah. No problem. I'll have him call you when we get to the hotel." A few seconds after that, Thor ended the call. He turned to Quill and said, "well, I think I managed to smooth things over a bit. They still want to talk to you later though."

"That's fine. Thanks for taking the brunt of their anger," Quill said.

"For you, anytime."

"They didn't seem suspicious or anything, right?"

"I don't think so," Thor said, "they seemed to take me at my word when I said that we didn't have a strict plan."

"Good," Quill let out a relieved sigh. Everything was still fine. Quill only hoped it would stay that way.

\---------------------

"So... we're really sharing a bed," Thor commented, eyes fixated on the hotel room's single bed. He'd tried to get them a room with two beds, but apparently the one they got was the only room the hotel had left. When Thor suggested they try a different one, Quill spoke up and said that he didn't mind. So they got the room. This was bad though. Sharing a room with Quill was trying enough. Thor wasn't sure he had the self control to sleep next to Quill without touching him. "Is snuggling allowed?"

"Um, actually..."

"Snuggling is no good?"

"I didn't say that. I just... might have had something else in mind," Quill said, blushing slightly as he pulled a box of condoms out of his bag and held it up for Thor to see.

"Huh," Thor managed. That had definitely caught him off guard.

"You don't want to?"

"I'm just surprised," Thor said quickly, not wanting to give Quill the wrong idea. "I kind of assumed you weren't ready for anything like that. You know, since all we do is kiss?"

"Yeah, well, maybe I didn't want to risk one of my family members or Loki walking in on us."

"Loki does have quite the track record with that sort of thing."

"Exactly."

Thor smiled at the comment, but then grew serious as he asked, "are you sure you want this, Quill? You're not pushing yourself because you think this is what I want?"

"It's what I want," Quill said. He did sound like he'd thought it through. It was really okay then? Thor felt like he was dreaming.

"Then... how do you want to do this?" Thor asked, taking a step towards Quill and placing a hand gently on his cheek. "Do you want to take the lead or should I?"

The blush on Quill's cheeks turned a shade darker. It was cute. Thor couldn't help but smile in response. "I was thinking that you should lead since you have more experience," Quill muttered shyly, "I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to guys."

"Fair enough," Thor said with a soft chuckle. He pressed in closer and planted a kiss on Quill's lips before looking him in the eyes and saying, "let me know if I do something you don't like or you want to stop, okay? The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"Got it. You don't have to be gentle with me though. I'm pretty sure I can take it."

"We'll see about that," Thor grinned. He kissed Quill again, but this kiss wasn't the gentle one from before. It was more like their first kiss, full of energy and passion. Quill leaned into it, toying with the hem of Thor's shirt with his fingers as they continued. Thor pressed closer, forcing Quill to take a step backwards towards the bed. Their lips parted just long enough for Thor to pull off Quill's jacket and for Quill to pull off Thor's shirt.

Quill laid back on the bed and let Thor climb on top of him. Quill's hands started at Thor's stomach and worked their way up, slowly exploring the shape of his partner's chest. 

"Don't be disappointed when I'm not as cut as you, alright?" Quill asked.

"You could never disappoint me, Quill," Thor said, kissing along Quill's neck. "I love you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'm pretty sure I love you too," Quill admitted, "because I'm really scared of the thought of you leaving me even though we haven't been together that long."

Thor took Quill's hand in his and intertwined their fingers. Looking Quill in the eye he said, "we really could elope, you know? If a ring on your finger is what it'd take to reassure you, I'd be more than happy to do it."

"I'd say be serious, but I know you're actually that crazy," Quill chuckled. "It's okay though. If we do end up getting married, I'd like to do it the right way. I'd want my family to be there."

"Then maybe I'll make this trip about getting your biological father's blessing," Thor smiled, "Yondu will probably take a bit more work after the stunt we pulled, but I'll get his blessing too. Count on it."

"Maybe I will," Quill replied before pulling in Thor for another kiss.


	19. Chapter 19

"This can't be right," Quill said, checking the address of the house for the tenth time to make sure it matched up with the one on the envelope. Sure enough, it did. The house they were looking at had a modern style to it and was nearly as large as Thor's house. It had to have cost a fortune.

"According to the address, it is right," Thor pointed out. "Come on." That said, Thor got out of the car and headed to the door. 

Quill sighed and then followed suit-- albeit at a slower pace. He was still kind of sore from their adventure last night. He'd had Thor do all the driving today because of it. It had been worth it though. Thor had certainly known what he was doing. How much sex had this guy had before they hooked up anyway? Quill supposed he didn't really want to know the answer to that.

Thor rang the doorbell and soon enough it was answered with by a young woman with shoulder length black hair, big black eyes, and a set of antenna at the top of her forehead. "Hello," she said, her voice sweet. "If you're here to see the master, I'm afraid he doesn't receive any visitors."

Quill stepped forward. "Even his son?"

Her eyes went wide as she looked Quill over. After a moment, she said, "please, wait here a moment. I will speak with him." That said, she closed the door and left them waiting. A minute later, she opened it back up. "The master will see you."

Quill took a deep breath and then followed her inside. Thor came in behind him. They were led into a large living room with grand, abstract paintings covering the walls. "He will be down to see you in a minute. If you need anything while you're waiting, just give me a call. I'm Mantis," she said. She gave them a small curtsey and then left the room.

"How are you holding up?" Thor asked quietly once they were alone.

"I'm not," Quill responded. "I really don't know what to think about all of this."

"Just remember I'm here for you no matter what happens."

Quill really was grateful to Thor. With those few words, he'd managed to eliminate a good portion of his nervousness. Of course, some of that nervousness came flooding back as a robed figure started descending the stairs. As soon as Quill met the man's eyes, the stranger's face broke into a smile. "Peter Quill," he said, "so you did get my letters."

"Uh, yeah," Quill replied, choosing to leave out the fact that Yondu had been keeping them from him.

"What finally made you decide to see me?"

"This guy here," Quill said, nodding to Thor, "I wouldn't have had the courage to come see you without him."

"Thor Odinson," Thor interjected, introducing himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm Ego, but I assume you knew that," Ego said, taking Thor's hand and shaking it. "Odinson, though. That would make you Odin's son, I assume?"

"You know my father?"

"He's bought some of my paintings," Ego said, "he's been a valued customer of mine in the past. It's a shame what the police are doing to him."

"Thank you for saying so," Thor said seriously.

"So you're an artist then?" Quill asked.

"I am more than an artist, my boy. I am the artist," Ego said excitedly, "the most famous one of our time. The whole world has embraced my vision. I'm honestly surprised you haven't heard of me. But that's beside the point, come here and give your old man a hug!"

Quill smiled and figured why the hell not? He accepted Ego's hug. A few seconds into it and Ego gestured for Thor to join in. Thor did so gladly.

"Okay, I think I'm suffocating now," Quill said. Thor and Ego let go, allowing him to pull out of the hug. Quill straightened himself out and then struggled to come up with something new to say. He'd thought of so many questions he wanted the answer to on the way over, but now that he was here, he'd forgotten all of them.

"So you two are friends?" Ego asked, gesturing from Quill to Thor.

"Boyfriends," Quill clarified. He wasn't going to hurt Thor by lying to his biological father.

"Well," Ego said, a hint of amused surprise in his tone. "I guess I can safely say my son has good taste then, huh?"

Honestly, Quill hadn't expected Ego to take the news so well. He was grateful that was the case though. Ego was actually turning out to be a pretty ideal father figure. Something about that didn't sit quite right with Quill though. There had to be something he wasn't seeing, right? Why else would Yondu hide the letters? Then again, maybe that fact said more about Yondu than Ego. Maybe... Maybe Ego could be a part of Quill's life.

"How long are you two in town? And don't you dare tell me you already have hotel reservations. You have to spend the night here," Ego said.

"We only have the one day," Thor explained, "and we can't really stay the night. We have to start heading back tonight if we're going to get home at a reasonable time."

"Would it be okay if we got back at an unreasonable time?" Quill asked. He really wanted to stay. He knew they couldn't extend their vacation too much, but it wouldn't throw them off too much if they stayed the night here, right?

Thor thought about it and then said, "alright. But we do have to leave tomorrow morning. We can't really afford to miss another class and you have to get back to work."

"Excellent!" Ego cheered, clapping his hands together, "I look forward to getting to know the two of you."

\---------------------

"Well, what do you think?" Peter asked, adjusting his tie as he stepped out of his room to show off his suit to Loki. It was a gray one with a little too much room in the shoulders. 

Loki suspected it was a hand me down from Yondu. Still, it worked. It definitely gave Peter an aura of class Loki wasn't used to. "I think that you look very handsome."

"That's such a mom thing to say," Peter said with a chuckle.

"Speaking of mom things," Loki smiled as he hoisted a camera.

Peter groaned. "Do I have to?"

"May's orders. And it's not like it's a whole photo shoot."

"It's not even prom though."

"It doesn't matter. You're not getting out of this," Loki said, unsympathetic to Peter's plight. He then lifted the camera and started giving orders. Peter rolled his eyes in between shots, but Loki got him to cooperate for the most part. "One more and we can get you to whoever you ended up asking out."

"I, um... I'm not actually going with anyone," Peter admitted.

"Hold on, what?" Loki asked with a frown, "was my advice no good?"

"I'm sure it was fine," Peter said quickly, "I just didn't end up asking anyone."

"Why not?"

Peter shrugged. "I guess I just didn't feel like it."

"You're going to the dance anyway though, huh?" Loki asked, "I'll be honest. That doesn't sound like much fun."

"I'll make it work."

"Or... you could ditch your dance and come with me," Loki offered. Peter stared at Loki for a moment, considering what he'd just said. It made Loki a little nervous so he forced a laugh and added, "I mean, it's not like it's prom, right? Of course, if you don't want to..."

"Where would we be going?" Peter asked.

"The opera," Loki said, "I reserved a whole group of seats so I'd have an entire box to myself. It's not like you'd cost any extra."

"W-wasn't that expensive?"

"Yes, but I ordered the tickets long before Hela kicked us out of the house. Money wasn't exactly a consideration at that point. Anyway, it's fine if you aren't interested. I'm not sure how appealing the opera is to a high school kid. I just thought it might be better for you than standing in a corner and watching happy couples dancing together."

"Was that your experiences with school dances?"

Loki blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Yes," he admitted, "and Thor insisted on dragging me along to all of them anyway. He thought they were too much fun to be skipped. Of course, it's not like he ever lacked a partner. Even when he went without a date he had people fawning over him all night. I suppose it is possible you'd fall into that category."

"Me? No way," Peter said, "I'm more like you than Thor."

"Then what do you think? Do you want to go to your dance?"

"I mean, I don't think I'd have a terrible time. I would rather go with you though if that's really okay."

"Then so be it," Loki said with a smile, "you might want to text your friends and let them know you're bailing though. Just in case anyone ends up thinking you got kidnapped."

"You are kind of kidnapping me though," Peter teased.

"Very funny," Loki replied. "Now let's take that last picture already."

\---------------------

"I feel so important," Peter said as he took a seat and looked over the balcony. The view of the stage was pretty incredible from their position and Peter could see all the other audience members file into their own seats. "Like royalty or something."

Loki chuckled. "Well, little prince," he said, "I'm sure you'll feel even classier with a pair of these." He handed Peter a set of theater binoculars. They were, of course, mass produced so that people could buy them there instead of bringing their own, but they still managed to have a sophisticated feel to them.

"Oh, wow! Thanks," Peter said, immediately putting them to use by looking at Loki through them. "You're all blurry."

"Of course, I am. I'm standing two feet away from you," Loki said in an amused tone. "Try pointing it elsewhere."

"But what if I don't want to?"

"Suit yourself," Loki said. He took a seat and looked around the theater. He hadn't meant to pay much attention to the audience, but one person in particular caught his eye. "Seriously?" Loki grumbled as he confirmed what he'd initially thought. He definitely knew that person.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked, pulling down the binoculars to look at Loki directly.

"Nothing," Loki frowned.

"It's clearly not nothing."

Loki sighed. "See that guy over there? The handsome one with the dark hair and perfect face?"

Peter cocked an eyebrow, giving Loki a look that he interpreted as rather judgmental.

"Oh, don't give me that," Loki groaned. "He's obviously a ten out of ten by any standard of measurement."

"I guess," Peter said, grudgingly taking another look, "but what about it?"

"His name is Quentin Beck. I went to high school with him."

"Okay. And did he bully you or something?"

"What? Of course not."

"Then I don't get what the problem is."

"It's just... I kind of had a bit of a crush on him back then."

"Uh huh," Peter said crossing his arms, "but you're over that, right? Because you said that you didn't see why you liked the people you had crushes on in the past anyway."

"I, uh, may not have been telling the complete truth," Loki admitted, "I mean, distance kind of forced me to come to terms with the fact that he was a no good liar, but... that logic goes out the window the second I see his stupid face again."

"Then stop looking at him."

That was easier said than done. Luckily, Loki was spared having to argue with Peter further as the lights dimmed signaling the start of the show. Loki turned his attention to the stage and tried not to think about Quentin Beck.

\---------------------

During intermission, Loki and Peter headed to the lobby to take a break. Despite not really understanding the whole story, Peter was having a good time. That was probably mostly thanks the fact that he was hanging out with Loki though. Missing out on a school dance didn't really bother him much at this point. Peter briefly left Loki behind to take a bathroom break. When he came back, he found Loki talking to Quentin.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Quentin asked casually.

"It has," Loki replied with a smile, "I can't say I miss high school though."

"Yeah. It was kind of a drag, huh? It's a bummer we never really hung out though."

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do. Most people wanted to get to know your brother, but me... I was more interested in the guy who always stayed in the shadows," Quentin said smoothly before adding, "It's probably weird for me to say this, but I always thought we'd have a lot in common if we actually took the time to get to know each other. You probably didn't give me a second thought though, huh?"

"That's not true. Actually, I kind of--"

"Hey guys," Peter interrupted before Loki could confess. He didn't know why he was so adamant about putting a stop to things, but he wasn't about to let this happen on his watch. Loki had basically said Quentin was bad for him, right? Peter tried convincing himself that he was doing it to save Loki from a relationship he'd regret.

"Hello," Quentin managed, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. "And this is?"

"It's a little complicated," Loki said with a small laugh designed to hide his embarrassment, "I guess the easiest way to put it is that he's my brother's boyfriend's brother."

"Also, I'm Loki's boyfriend," Peter added boldly.

"What the?! Are you trying to get me in trouble? You're underage!" Loki said, bopping Peter on the head as punishment.

"Not for long," Peter groaned as he rubbed his head, "I turn 18 next month. And it's not like you're that much older than me in the first place!"

"That is neither here nor there. The fact is we are most definitely not dating."

"Give the kid a break, Loki," Quentin said with a chuckle, "you can't exactly blame him for having a bit of a crush on you."

Both Loki and Peter blushed upon hearing that comment. That wasn't it at all! Right? Peter desperately tried to come up with something to say in response, but nothing came to mind.

"It's about time to get back to our show," Quentin said, producing a business card from his suit's pocket. "Here. Take this. It has my phone number on it. Call me sometime, will you?"

Loki took it and smiled, "I just might."

Peter did not like this Quentin guy. Not one bit.


	20. Chapter 20

Today had been surprisingly great. Quill was glad he'd allowed Thor to rope him into this crazy little adventure. The only problem with having his expectations so thoroughly surpassed was that now he didn't want to leave. There was still so much him and Ego had to catch up on. It was kind of a bummer he was going to have to wait until the next time he could scrape together enough vacation days. Quill sighed and left the on suite bathroom to find Thor spread out seductively on the king sized mattress in Ego's guest room. "Ready for bed?" Thor asked playfully.

That drastically improved his mood. Quill chuckled and asked, "why do I get the feeling I'm not going to get any sleep?"

Thor just grinned as he waved Quill over. Quill started obediently making his way over when a knock was heard at the door. So much for whatever this was. Quill went to the door and answered it. As it turned out, it was Mantis who was paying them a nighttime visit.

"I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to bother you, but... I would like to speak with you a moment, if I may," Mantis said. The nervous look on her face made Quill wonder if she already assumed her request would be rejected.

"Sure. What did you want to talk about?"

Mantis fidgeted uncomfortably and then briefly looked in Thor's direction before turning her gaze to the floor.

"Ah, you meant privately."

"Yes. If that's alright."

"Yeah," Quill said with a nod. He turned to Thor and said, "I'll be back in a minute, alright?"

"Don't cheat on me," Thor replied.

Mantis' eyes went wide. "I-I didn't mean to imply anything like--"

"He was only joking!" Quill said quickly, trying to reassure her.

"I mean, yes and no," Thor added. When Quill shot him a glare, he clarified, "but yes. Just take it as a joke."

"Oh. Okay," Mantis said with a relieved sigh. "A joke. Heh. I've never been part of a joke."

Quill cocked an eyebrow. That was a rather alarming revelation. This girl didn't get out much, did she? Putting that thought aside, he followed her to the living room. She offered to get him a drink which Quill politely declined. Then, they both took a seat. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to know more about you," Mantis said, "like, what was growing up without Ego like? What do you do for fun? Do you have a lot of friends? You said Thor is your boyfriend, correct? What is that like?"

"Whoa there! Let's focus on one question at a time, okay?" Quill said, not sure where to begin. This wasn't where he thought their conversation was going to go-- not that he had had a clue what they were going to be talking about in the first place. Still, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to try to answer her questions. "Your first one was about growing up without Ego, right? So, basically, you're asking about my childhood?"

Mantis nodded.

"It was fine. I mean, when my mother was still alive things were pretty great. She had to work a lot to support me, but I always had her music with me and the time we did have together was really fun. She taught me pretty much everything I know about dancing."

Mantis smiled warmly.

"It didn't last though..." Quill said, tone sober, "I was put in foster care and it was... pretty horrible. I ended up running away. I was actually trying to hitchhike when I met Yondu. He picked me up and drove me straight back. We got to talking on that drive though. I guess I was pitiful enough that he decided he'd take me." Quill hadn't thought about it much when he was a kid, but as an adult, he appreciated the fact that Yondu must have gone through hell to get him. A single dad was kind of a hard sell as far as adoption candidates went-- especially since he wasn't drowning in cash. "Yondu isn't perfect. He yelled at me a lot and there are some calls he made that I still think were unfair. But... he's my dad." Quill paused after saying that sentence aloud. It rang truer than ever now that he'd met Ego. Sure, Ego seemed great-- perfect even-- but Quill's relationship with Ego would never be the same as the one he had with Yondu.

"Even though you're not related by blood?"

"As far as I'm concerned, blood has nothing to do with it."

"Then... you could consider someone like me your true sister?"

"Hm?" Quill was a bit thrown off by that question.

"Because I am Ego's adopted daughter," Mantis clarified, "I am technically your sister."

"Hold on! What? You're my... You're not a servant that Ego is paying a buttload of cash to be here?"

Mantis shook her head. "I have been raised by Ego since I was a child. He took very good care of me, giving me all the latest clothes and tutors. He even let me learn how to play the violin so he could have me play music for him."

At this point, Quill's jaw was agape. Mantis said all of that as if it made perfect sense. "A-are you allowed to go outside?" Quill asked, trying to figure out exactly how bad it was.

"Of course. I go to the backyard all the time."

"No. I don't mean the backyard. I mean outside of this house. Like, did you go to a public school or anything when you were a kid?"

Mantis shook her head. "I've always been home schooled. And Ego says it's too dangerous to leave the house. Judging by the news stories I've seen, I have to concur."

Quill got up from his seat and started up the stairs, heading for Ego's room. Alarmed, Mantis followed him, her eyes wide. "What are you doing? You must not bother the master!"

Quill bit his lip, anger surging through him. Master, huh? Master. He ignored Mantis' plea and knocked on the door as hard as he could. "Wake up, you piece of shit!" he yelled.

At the other end of the hallway, Thor poked his head outside of their room. "What's going on, Quill?" he asked, disturbed by the sudden mood shift.

"Pack up our stuff," Quill called to him, "we're--"

The door swung open, revealing a frazzled looking Ego. Mantis sobbed and muttered several apologies as Quill stared Ego down. "How the fuck do you justify what you've done to her?" Quill asked.

"Peter," Ego said gently, trying to smooth over the conversation, "you seem to be misunderstanding something."

"She's supposed to be your daughter and you're treating her like a pet!"

"A pet?" Mantis asked aloud. She considered the word with a frown as Ego continued talking to Quill.

"I do not treat her like a pet. She had nothing and I took her in and gave her everything she could ever need."

"Except a life. You kept her from interacting with the outside world so you could make her into a compliant servant. Is that what you would have done with me, dad? You know, if you actually bothered to raise me yourself?" Quill asked, giving the word dad a sarcastic flair.

"Of course not," Ego said defensively, "Peter, you and I are blood. You... You are my legacy. You are what I will leave behind when I die. Do you know how important that makes you?"

"So I'm more important to you than Mantis because we're blood related?"

"Yes," Ego said, seemingly relieved that Quill was starting to understand.

"Thanks," Quill said, "that's all I needed to know." With that, Quill punched Ego hard across the face. It sent the older man flying to the ground. Mantis gasped in horror as Quill turned to her. "Mantis," he said, his tone calmer. He placed his hands on her shoulders to get her attention, "I know you don't totally understand what's going on, but you can not stay with this man. What he is doing is a form of abuse."

Mantis let out a worried whimper as she looked between the two.

"You asked me all those questions because you want to know what life is like outside, right?" Quill continued, desperately hoping he was getting closer to persuading her, "you're of age. He can't keep you here. If you want those answers, all you have to do is come with me and Thor. Okay?"

Mantis looked Quill in the eye. After a moment passed, she nodded. Quill's relief was instantaneous. "Go grab your things," Quill said, "we're leaving now."

"Everything she has is mine," Ego growled angrily from his spot on the floor, "if she takes it, she's stealing. That includes the clothes on her back."

Quill bit his lip, allowing himself a second of thought before giving Mantis instructions. "Go get a set of clothes from my suitcase. You can wear those. Ego can keep his shit."

"This isn't over, Peter!" Ego yelled.

"Oh, yes it is," Quill said, walking away from him, Mantis' hand in his.

\---------------------

Mantis slept soundly in the back seat, Quill's jacket across her chest. It didn't quite work as a blanket, but it was what they had to make do with. Quill kind of wished he could nod off too. He'd been ready to go to bed before his encounter with Ego. He was even more ready now. Thankfully, Thor still seemed up for some more driving. The further away they got from Ego before they stopped, the better he'd feel.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Thor said, finally breaking the silence.

"Don't be," Quill sighed, "I may have found out that my biological father was a garbage human, but if we hadn't gone she'd still be stuck with him. So, worth it."

Thor smiled.

"What?" Quill asked curiously.

"Nothing."

"Oh, it's something."

"I love you," Thor said bluntly. Quill blushed. "I was just thinking that more than ever."

"Because I chewed Ego out?"

"No, because you saved Mantis. But, I do have to admit, you punching your dad in the face was pretty hot. The whole rescue sequence definitely got me going."

"Knock it off."

Thor chuckled and then went silent for a moment. After awhile, he spoke up once more in a serious tone. "I really do mean that though. I'm proud of you and I'm so incredibly happy that you're my boyfriend."

Quill smiled. Those were his thoughts regarding Thor exactly. Too bad they couldn't mess around some more once they got to whatever hotel they'd end up staying at. That was the downside to bringing along an extra passenger. "We'll have to stop somewhere and get her some shoes tomorrow," Quill said.

"Agreed," Thor said, "and when we get back, I'll take her out shopping so we can get her some clothes of her own."

"I'm sorry you're using up so much of your money," Quill sighed.

"Like you said, worth it. You're not the only one who wants to help her out."

Yeah. Thor really was perfect, Quill thought. He let silence hang in the air for a moment before frowning and bringing up another thing on his mind. "My parents will be so thrilled when I bring home another mouth to feed."

Thor chuckled. "I'm sure they'll be willing to find room for her."

"All this means I have to tell Yondu what I was up to too," Quill sighed, "I guess that might be for the best though. I have some things I want to tell him."

\---------------------

Gamora chewed her bottom lip nervously as she looked down at her phone. Scott was calling her, but she had no idea what for. She was honestly a little afraid to answer. What if he was going to ask her out or something? Or... more likely, what if it had nothing to do with that? "Gah," Gamora exclaimed, annoyed at her own indecisiveness. It hadn't been like this with Thor. The guy had asked her out so fast that she hadn't had time to get all worked up over it. Also, it'd been her mission to hook up with him. That had taken a lot of the pressure off from the start. Right. That meant all she had to do was think of this as a mission too, right?

Gamora took a deep breath and answered the phone. "Hey, Scott," she said casually.

"Gamora, we've got a problem," Scott said bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Gamora was focused now.

"A private investigator went to go see Rocket. He ended up naming Thanos."

"Shit," Gamora cursed. She paced around her room, mind spinning with panicked thoughts.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Gamora said automatically. She really didn't blame Scott. Rocket may have been his partner in crime, but that was irrelevant to her. "I need to think. I'll call you back later, okay?"

"...Alright. Stay safe, Gamora."

"You too, Scott." That said, she hung up the phone. She took a deep breath and then went over the facts to reassure herself. They hadn't actually stolen anything. If they were caught, the most they could be charged with was breaking and entering, right? It's not like the documents were fake. Hela had taken them from... wherever Odin had been hiding away his secret accounts. If worse came to worst, she could take the fall. Thanos would make sure she had a good lawyer too. It wouldn't be forever.

"What's bothering you, child?" came a voice from behind her.

Gamora snapped to attention, whirling around to come face to face with her father. She hadn't noticed him enter her room. Probably because she'd been too busy worrying. "It's nothing," she said, avoiding eye contact.

"Hmm," Thanos started, moving in closer. He tilted her chin upward and forced her to meet his gaze. "I didn't teach you to lie."

Gamora went cold. She had an idea of what was coming next.

"Let's see... Peter Quill, was it? I get the feeling you'd be at least a little upset if something happened to him. Well, Gamora, shall I pay him a visit?"

"No," Gamora said, lowering her gaze. "We weren't as careful as we thought we were," she started explaining. Maybe she could at least twist this so Rocket and Scott weren't on Thanos' radar. "I messed up. Rocket and Scott found out that a private investigator is on to you."

"Sloppy," Thanos said sternly, looking at Gamora with the disapproval he usually reserved for Nebula.

"I know. And if it comes to it, I'll take the fall," Gamora said, "but I don't think we should worry just yet. The most they could charge us with is--"

"You disappoint me, daughter," Thanos said, shaking his head. "It's about the principle of the matter. If someone comes after you, you go after them."

\---------------------

Jessica groaned. She knew the crime was related to Thanos now, but she didn't have the evidence to back it up. Rocket could have been a witness if she hadn't let him go, but she'd gone soft. Jessica took another sip of whiskey and started looking over her information again. There had to be something she could use.

She was midway through the second paragraph when her phone rang. "Hey," she answered curtly.

"Hello, Jessica." She didn't know this voice, but she had a guess who it belonged to.

"Thanos?" she asked.

"I'm impressed," Thanos replied smoothly.

"What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you'd spoken to your sister lately."

Jessica's silence spoke volumes.

"If you want her to stay safe, I suggest you make your way over to Warehouse 16. Come alone. You have thirty minutes." Thanos ended the call immediately after that.

"Shit," Jessica cursed. She tried dialing Trish a few times, but her calls just went to voicemail. This was obviously a trap, but Jessica couldn't afford not to go. Trish's life could depend on it and that wasn't a gamble she was willing to make. She paced around her office for a moment before coming up with her least worst plan of action. Jessica texted Tony, typing out a one word message: Thanos.

If she died tonight, at least that bit of information wouldn't die with her. That thought in mind, she opened her office door and headed for the warehouse.


	21. Chapter 21

Jessica took a deep breath as she approached the warehouse. Whatever was about to happen, she knew it wasn't good. She only hoped that she'd be able to get out of this alive with Trish. Jessica went to the nearest door and checked to see if it was unlocked. It was. Well, no point in putting it off. That thought in mind, she opened the door and entered the warehouse.

The warehouse itself was dimly lit and lined with tall crates. Thanos could be hiding anywhere. "I'm here," Jessica said, walking out into the open. She'd figured that this was the fastest way to get the man to show himself. Also... she didn't want to let him know that she was scared. "I did what you wanted so where's Trish?"

"Don't worry," Thanos said, stepping out into the open and revealing himself. Jessica noted that he was carrying a gun. That didn't bode well. "I like to avoid involving innocents whenever possible. Your sister was never in any danger. All we did was steal her phone."

That explained the short time frame they'd given her. If Jessica had had the time to go looking for Trish, she would have found her easily enough. Then she would have known that there was no point in her showing up here. It sucked that she'd fallen for it, but at the same time she was relieved. Trish was safe. She didn't have to worry about saving her-- just herself. "Did Hela put you up to this?" Jessica asked. She tried to keep her tone casual, but she was fishing for information. 

Thanos was more than happy to tell her what she wanted to know. "Oh, no. One of the conditions of our arrangement is that she gets to keep her hands clean. We've had zero contact since she handed over that folder of documents we used to get Odin arrested," Thanos explained.

"What did you get out of all this?"

"A powerful ally, to be relied upon when the time was right," Thanos said, "does that answer all of your questions, Jessica?"

"Not even close."

Thanos chuckled. "I suppose that's what makes you a talented investigator. Let's put those skills to the test, shall we? Tell me, Jessica, why do I think you told all that?"

"Because you're planning to kill me," Jessica said without flinching, "you don't think that information will get back to anyone that matters."

"Close," Thanos said. He snapped his fingers and called, "Gamora!" Gamora stepped out of the shadows and walked over to Thanos. Jessica had done enough homework to know that she was one of his daughters. That meant Nebula was probably around too. Maybe keeping an eye out for unwanted guests? Jessica took a quick glance around, looking for escape possibilities. The windows above could be an option if she couldn't get to any of the doors. Of course, getting to anything was the main problem. Jessica's eyes darted back to Thanos as she saw him reach for his gun. Instead of pointing it at Jessica, he put it in Gamora's hand and said, "clean up the mess you made."

Gamora's eyes widened, the grim expression she'd worn before turning to one of shock.

"This is the cost of failure, my dear. Maybe next time you'll remember that before making a mistake." Thanos took Gamora's hand and raised it for her, pointing the gun directly at Jessica. He lowered his voice and said, "before you think about refusing, know that Jessica wasn't the only one I ended up investigating. I know how you've been spending your time. You actually fell for your mark. I didn't think you were that stupid. Still, it seems you got over that pretty quickly when Scott Lang came into the picture. And his daughter."

Jessica saw the twitch of the girl's finger just in time. She dove behind the nearest set of crates just as the shot went off. Thanos was none to pleased about that. He grabbed the gun from Gamora and started coming after Jessica. She had to escape! Now!

As she was figuring out how much effort it'd take to climb on top of one of the crates, Nebula burst into the building. "We have a problem!" she shouted. The interruption diverted Thanos' attention for half a second. Jessica used that opportunity to bolt towards one of the door. Thanos fired his gun at her, but he hadn't had the time to set up the shot. It narrowly missed her as she twisted the knob. In another second, she was outside.

Parked up ahead were a couple of police cars. A few officers hovered around the area, hurriedly discussing how they were going to handle the situation. A particularly authoritative voice said, "sir, you have to stay back." Jessica knew that voice well enough. After all, she had more than her fair share of run ins with Misty before. Still, despite their history, Jessica was glad to see her this time around. As for the guy she was trying to hold back...

Tony locked eyes with Jessica. Idiot, she thought. The word didn't match her true feelings at all though. She was half way to them when Jessica heard a loud bang. Pain seared through her body, causing her to double over. She'd been shot. She grit her teeth and tried covering up the wound with her hand as she looked back towards the warehouse. Thanos was standing in the doorway. In doing so, he'd inadvertently ended up showing his face to the police. That's right, shithead. Jessica grinned. You're done. Of course, it was quite possible that so was she.

\---------------------

Gamora didn't remember how they got out of the warehouse. The whole thing seemed like a bad dream, one where all the details quickly fell away except one: she'd shot the gun. Gamora clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. A wave of emotion overcame her. She wanted to scream, but she didn't. She couldn't. She wasn't allowed to show such weakness in front of her family.

From the seat next to her, Nebula glanced at Gamora. There was a hint of worry there that Gamora hadn't seen before. Then again, maybe she was just imagining things. Nebula didn't care. They were sisters, but they'd never really acted like it. If she was worried, it was about the situation. Not Gamora. And what a fucking situation it was.

Her father didn't say anything as he drove away from the scene. That was telling enough. They weren't going to be able to go home after this. They'd have to hide out somewhere else. Where? Gamora couldn't care less.

All she could think about was what she'd almost done. Murder was the one thing she'd always thought she'd draw the line at, but all Thanos had to do to get her to do it was the same thing he'd always done. She'd lost as soon as he said Scott's name. All this meant that she couldn't lie to herself anymore. She didn't deserve to be a hero in Cassie's bedtime stories. She was as bad as they came and there was no redeeming her.

\---------------------

"I was right. Hela is involved," Jessica groaned. It hurt like hell to talk, but she needed to tell Tony what she'd learned in case they didn't make it to the hospital in time. "You'll also want to... look into a Scott Lang. I don't know if he's relevant, but--"

"Jessica, I don't care," Tony said, cutting through her words with a cruel finality. "You fucking got shot and now your first instinct is to spit out all this crap?"

"It's important," Jessica replied defiantly.

"I know, okay? I know that. But it's not as important as you and you don't seem to get that!" Tony shouted. "You almost died! If I'd been a second slower..." He buried his face in his hands. "You could have died."

Jessica avoided telling him that she might still and just stared at him. It was kind of nice, having someone worry about her like this. She didn't mind the yelling. Jessica winced and then laid back on her stretcher. Cooperating didn't come easily to her, but she supposed she could give it a try. She took a deep breath and then asked something she'd been wondering about, "how did you know where to find me, anyway?"

Tony made sure that they were the only two paying attention to their conversation before quietly admitting, "I might have used Jarvis to do some things that weren't strictly legal. Though, in my defense, what else was I supposed to do after getting a cryptic text like that?"

"Sorry," Jessica sighed, "I didn't have any better ideas."

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you texted me. Otherwise, things would have played out a lot different back there."

"Tony," Jessica started, "when they let me out of the hospital, let's go grab a drink."

"You got it," Tony replied, "as soon as the doctors clear you to have alcohol."

"That's not what I said," Jessica pouted.

"But that is what I'm agreeing too."

"You're impossible," Jessica said with a small smile.

\---------------------

When Quill got home, the first thing he did was find Yondu. The first thing Yondu tried to do was lecture Quill about his impromptu vacation with Thor, but Quill put a stop to that by hugging him tighter than he ever had before. That caught Yondu off guard. Instead of scolding Quill like he'd meant to, he returned the hug and pat him on the back. 

"I'm sorry," Quill said into Yondu's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Yondu asked, pulling back and looking Quill in the eyes.

"I lied," Quill said, "I wasn't just going on a trip with Thor. I went to see Ego."

Yondu frowned. "You found one of his letters then."

"Yeah," Quill said, "I probably should have talked to you first, but..."

"It's alright," Yondu sighed, "I shouldn't have hid them from you. You did have a right to know about Ego. It's just, he's..."

"A huge dick."

Yondu chuckled at that. "You've got that right." He pat Quill on the shoulder and, in a more somber tone, added, "that's not why I did it though."

"Then why?"

"Because I was afraid you'd leave," Yondu admitted, "like it or not, Ego's your biological father. You'll always be connected to him in some way. Me though? I'm only connected to you as long as you want me to be. And I know I'm not a perfect dad. If you chose--"

"I never needed you to be perfect," Quill said, cutting Yondu off, "I just needed you to be there and you were. You were always there. You're my real dad, regardless of blood."

"Now we're just being sappy," Yondu smiled. Quill could tell the words meant a lot to him though.

"Hey, Quill," Thor interjected, coming across the two of them in the hallway, "is now a good time to mention Mantis?"

"Mantis?" Yondu asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, um," Quill started awkwardly, "I hope you wanted a daughter."

\---------------------

Everyone in Quill's household sat around the kitchen table. A family meeting had been called and, while they lived under the same roof, that also included Thor and Loki. "I guess we should start with introductions," May said, starting them off, "I'm May. I'm Peter's aunt and I'm married to Yondu which makes Quill my son." She'd pointed out everyone as she spoke for Mantis' sake. "I suppose that also makes me your mother if you're alright with that."

"I have never had a mother," Mantis said, "but I think I would like that."

"Then you should think of all of us as your family."

"If you're sure..."

"I think it'll be really cool to have a big sister," Peter chimed in excitedly.

Mantis smiled back, encouraged by his enthusiasm.

"The more the merrier, I suppose," Yondu said. Quill could tell he wasn't fully on board with this plan yet, but he wasn't going to just leave her on her own either. He'd warm up to the idea, given enough time. "Consider us your family from now on."

"I just wish we had a proper place for you to sleep," May sighed. They'd set her up on the couch for now. Mantis didn't seem to mind, but May felt dreadful about it. "You should really have your own room."

"There's not much we can do about it," Yondu sighed, "it's not like we can afford to buy a bigger house."

Thor seemed to be working out something in his head. Quill sighed. If he knew his boyfriend, he was probably trying to work out a way to fix that. It was sweet, but Quill wished he wouldn't. Thor had his own problems to worry about.

Thor practically jumped in surprise when his phone rang. Quill stifled a chuckle at the reaction as Thor apologized and then answered it. Quill couldn't overhear the conversation since Thor had left the table, but his boyfriend's face fell as it continued. Once the call finally ended, Thor came back and explained. "That was Tony. He said Jessica is in the hospital."

"Is she alright?" Quill asked quickly.

"Yeah. She's stable now. Apparently she got shot going after a guy named Thanos." Thor hesitated. Quill figured he was trying to recall where he'd heard that name before. Quill, on the other hand, remembered instantly.

"That's Gamora's dad."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late-ish update. I got my copy of Dragon Quest Builders 2 in and have been distracted. :O

"We brought flowers and this jumbo teddy bear," Thor said, carrying the mentioned gifts in his arms as him and Quill entered Jessica's room.

"You shouldn't have," Jessica said with a frown.

"Nonsense. It was the least we could do."

"Well, thanks, I guess," Jessica sighed, "you can add them to the pile over there." Jessica gestured to a corner where an even larger bear occupied a chair. On the table next to it were a few different flower arrangements and several cards.

"Looks like somebody is popular," Quill commented, checking the card on the bear. That one was from Danny apparently.

"Yeah. I have no idea when that happened," Jessica commented. "It's kind of annoying."

"I think it's sweet."

"It is, but that doesn't make it any less annoying."

"Fair enough."

Thor put the flowers down on the table and placed the teddy bear on the shoulders of the other one, making it look like the bigger one was giving the smaller one a piggy back ride. "There," Thor declared, "how can anyone not smile when they look at that?"

"You two are something else," Jessica smiled.

"Oh! She did it! She actually smiled!" Quill pointed out. Thor hastily turned to catch it, but he was too late. Jessica had reverted to her normal expression.

"Come on now, stop bothering the lady," Tony said, reentering the room with a couple of sodas in hand. He'd been by Jessica's side the whole time-- excluding the hours the hospital kicked visitor's out and the few times he had to go teach a class. He walked over to Jessica and handed her one, "I know it's not alcohol, but they won't let me give you that yet."

"I appreciate it," Jessica said, opening it and taking a sip. She turned her attention back to Thor and Quill. "There are some things we need to go over."

"I know. I wish it could wait until you were feeling better, but..." Thor trailed off.

Jessica nodded and continued, "I followed up on our security camera footage lead. It took me to a guy that pointed me towards Thanos."

"Who is the father of my ex-girlfriend," Thor sighed.

"I didn't know that part," Jessica said, "but it would make sense. Thanos doesn't seem to have any qualms using his daughters for his dirty work seeing as he had Gamora try to shoot me. I'm sure there were a number of reasons to have her date you."

"H-hold on," Thor struggled. He had qualms with several parts of that statement. "We can't know that he forced her to date me. And..."

"She tried to shoot you?" Quill asked, finishing the end of Thor's thought for him.

"She didn't want to, but she did go through with it," Jessica explained, "he threatened a few people-- you included, I think, now that I'm putting the pieces together. You may have been more than a mark after all. The other two were someone named Scott Lang and his daughter."

"Cassie Lang," Quill sighed, "Scott Lang is one of my co-workers."

"You'll want to talk to him. At least let him know to be careful. Thanos is still out there and he has nothing to lose. There's no telling what desperate play he'll make," Jessica said seriously. Her attention turned to Thor as she added, "and Hela was working with him. She gave him the documents that were planted at Odin's company. That sounds like it was the extent of it though. We'll have a hard time proving she was involved if they don't have some sort of written version of their agreement which I doubt they do."

"Why though? Did she just want to take over company?" Thor asked, wondering aloud.

Quill frowned. He knew why. At this point, he kind of had to tell Thor. Even if he would respond poorly. "Hey, can we talk privately for a second?" Quill asked Thor.

The others gave him a curious look in response. "Okay," Thor answered, "is the hallway private enough?"

"Yeah. Probably," Quill said. He was not looking forward to this.

The two of them stepped outside the room and waited until a few of the nurses passed by before beginning their conversation. "What did you want to tell me?" Thor asked.

"I know why she did it," Quill said, "she straight up told me when you went to go see your mother."

"And you didn't think that information was relevant?"

"I didn't think you'd listen." Thor deflated a bit at that. The fact that Quill hadn't trusted him probably hurt. Still, in this case, Quill was pretty sure he was right not to. He supposed he'd find out in a few seconds regardless. "Your dad isn't as innocent as you think. To get his wealth, he used underhanded tactics. Hela was one of them. He had her beat people senseless to get them to comply with what he wanted. When she went to jail, it was because she got caught doing a job for him."

Thor's face was blank, but Quill could already tell what was going on in his head.

"I told you you wouldn't listen," Quill said sadly.

"How could you believe Hela?" Thor asked, a hint of anger in his tone.

"Yup. I predicted this too."

"It's a legitimate question, Quill. There's no reason for her to tell you the truth about anything. She probably just made it up to drive a wedge between us."

"And why are you so sure your father is innocent?"

"Because he is!"

"You see? That's the problem! You aren't willing to see any other explanation! Your father is a paragon of virtue and that makes Hela completely evil, right? But you weren't there when I talked to her! You don't know how sad she sounded."

"Hela? Sad?" Thor laughed, "I doubt she's ever been sad in her life."

Quill wasn't laughing. He was done. "I love you, but I don't like you right now," Quill said seriously. That caught Thor off guard. "I'm going home. Please, actually consider what I said."

"But we only brought my car," Thor said, scrambling to come up with something.

"I'll figure it out," Quill said, "see you later." He turned to leave, but Thor caught his arm.

"I love you too," he said, almost desperately, "so please, don't be mad."

Quill turned to him and, after confirming no one was around, gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I just need some space right now. I'll be okay by the time you get home."

"Really?" Thor asked, looking him over.

Quill figured he was trying to determine whether or not he was being honest. It was kind of interesting seeing Thor like this. Quill hadn't thought he'd be so insecure over something as minor as this. Maybe he didn't realize that it was minor though. "Yeah," Quill responded, "I promise."

"Then I promise too," Thor said after a moment, "I... will at least consider the possibility of what you've said."

"Thank you," Quill said earnestly. He then said his goodbyes and left the hospital behind. He wasn't sure Thor would be able to come around to the idea, but this was a start.

\---------------------

"Let's see... We'll start with this one, this one, and this one," Loki said, grabbing articles of clothing as he went. Thor and Quill had originally planned to take Mantis shopping themselves, but after Jessica got shot, visiting her in the hospital had taken priority. Loki had volunteered to go in their stead. After all, he seriously doubted they had the fashion credentials to make any informed decisions in the first place. "Do you see anything you want to try? Your opinion matters too."

"Oh, it's okay," Mantis said, seemingly surprised at being addressed at all, "you seem to know what you're doing."

"Yeah, but the point is for you to make the decision," Peter explained. Loki still wasn't entirely sure why the kid had wanted to tag along, but it was kind of nice having him along regardless. "Otherwise, we'll just be doing what Ego did."

"It's true," Loki said, reconsidering his strategy, "in fact, I'm going to put these back. They're off limits now. Everything you try on has to be picked exclusively by yourself."

"T-that's kind of a lot of pressure."

"Don't worry," Loki said gently, "we'll still give you feedback. We're just going to pick out the best of whatever you decide you want."

"We have all day too," Peter added, "so take all the time you need."

Loki couldn't help but be a little proud of him. Peter really was going all out to welcome Mantis into the family. It was endearing to say the least.

"I don't know where to start though," Mantis frowned.

"Hmm... Well, do you know what kind of style you'd like? For example, do you want cool clothes or cute clothes?" Peter asked.

"Um, cute maybe."

"Then you'll want to try over here first," Loki said, leading the way to a new section.

"Okay," Mantis said, perking up a little. She still seemed unsure of herself, but limiting the section she was looking at seemed to give her a little bit of confidence. She hesitantly picked out a few different things before they headed to the dressing rooms.

While they waited for her to put together the first outfit, Loki and Peter took a seat on a bench outside. Loki was about to start a conversation, but Peter beat him to it. "Did you ever end up calling that Quentin guy?" he asked.

That was a weird thing to bring up all of a sudden. "N-no," Loki answered honestly, "I meant to. It's just... with everything happening right now it didn't seem like the time for it."

"Ah," Peter said. He went quiet for a minute before adding, "well, maybe it's for the best. I mean, you said he was no good, right?"

"I did say that. But it's not like he ever wronged me personally. And people change."

"I guess," Peter moped.

Before Loki could ask why any of it mattered, Mantis exited the dressing room and shyly showed off her outfit-- a cute sun dress with a floral pattern. It looked good. Really good.

"Do you like that one?" Loki asked, careful not to give away his opinion just yet.

"Um, I think so," she said, "it's comfy and I like the flower pattern."

"You look really cute," Peter said.

Mantis blushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you."

"I think that one is a definite buy," Loki said with a smile. Mantis smiled back happily, apparently glad that her opinion had been backed up. "Ready to try on the next one?"

She nodded and then reentered the dressing room.

"If you talk to him, are you going to start dating him?" Peter asked, bringing the conversation back to Quentin.

"I don't know," Loki said, blushing brightly, "if it came up, maybe. It's not like he'd necessarily be interested in that sort of thing though."

"Seriously?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Of course he's interested in dating you. He was all over you at the opera!"

"He was not."

"Most people wanted to get to know your brother, but me... I was more interested in the guy who always stayed in the shadows," Peter repeated Quentin's words in his best impersonation. It definitely sounded tackier when put like that.

"He could have meant that in a friendly way."

"Not likely."

"Look, why does this even matter?" Loki asked, wanting to put an end to this conversation once and for all.

"Because," Peter started. He hesitated for a moment and then added, "I don't want you to date him."

"Would it really be the end of the world if I did?"

Peter didn't answer. Neither of them spoke until Mantis came out to show off her second outfit. The three of them ended up approving that one for purchase as well. When she went back inside, Peter did find the nerve to continue.

"I've thought about it and I think that the reason I didn't feel like asking anyone at my school to the dance was because I already liked someone else," Peter said.

"Okay," Loki said, not quite sure what Peter was getting at. Peter definitely caught on to that fact since he clarified what he was saying right after.

"I'm going to ask you out on my birthday," he declared, "so do me a favor and try to stop thinking of me as a kid."

There was no misinterpreting that. Loki froze. So, back at the opera... he'd been serious about that? At least on an unconscious level? Oh boy. What Peter had said back then was true-- the age difference between them wasn't that drastic. Once Peter was 18 there wasn't anything morally wrong about it as far as society was concerned. Still, it wasn't like it was easy to change the way that he thought about Peter. He'd never categorized the kid as someone he could potentially date.

Thankfully, Mantis spared him from responding by exiting the dressing room with her third outfit on. It looked great too. Honestly, Loki was starting to think that the girl had an eye for this sort of thing. When she entered the dressing room for the fourth time, Loki felt a wave of nervousness overcome him. Now he actually had to come up with some sort of response, didn't he?

"Mantis has looked really nice in all her outfits so far, huh?" Peter asked with a smile. 

It was like their conversation from before never happened. Peter was letting Loki off the hook. For now, anyway. That didn't mean Loki could avoid coming up with an answer forever though. He guessed he really had to consider it now.


	23. Chapter 23

After exiting the hospital, Quill took a seat on a nearby bench and made a call to Scott. He wasn't really looking forward to this conversation, but it'd be irresponsible not to give his co-worker a heads up after what Jessica had told him.

"Hey," Scott said, answering the phone, "what's up, Quill?"

"A lot actually," Quill responded, "do you have a minute?"

"Yeah. Of course."

That was good. It meant Quill didn't have to give him the short version. Of course, explaining everything wasn't going to be an easy feat. "I don't really know where to start so this might sound like rambling," Quill said apologetically.

"That's fine. I'm sure I know you well enough by now to piece whatever you say together."

Quill smiled. Scott was always good like that. "I guess the main point is that you need to be careful," Quill said seriously, "as it turns out, Gamora's dad is a really bad dude. He used your name as leverage to get her to do what he wanted."

Scott was quiet for a long moment. "What did he make her do?" he asked finally.

It was Quill's turn to hesitate. He didn't really want to tell Scott. He'd probably think of her differently after he did. And, even though she had tried to shoot Jessica, Quill wasn't convinced she was some kind of monster. He'd been around her too long to think something like that. To Quill, Gamora was someone who needed help-- someone he'd failed to help. "He tried to get her to shoot someone."

"And she didn't do it?"

Quill sighed. "No. She did do it. She just missed."

Scott fell silent once more. This pause lasted even longer than the previous one. In the end, all he could say was, "fuck."

"I-I don't think she really had a choice," Quill said, trying to defend Gamora.

"Because of me. Because she was trying to protect me."

"That's..."

"That's it exactly," Scott said.

"You can't blame yourself," Quill said, "if he didn't use your name, he would have just used someone else's."

"I know, but still..."

"Look, Gamora will be okay. I'm sure there will be consequences, but she didn't actually kill anyone. If I can get her away from Thanos, she'll still have a future to look forward to," Quill said, making a promise to himself as he said the words out loud. He hadn't been able to help her before, but maybe he could now.

"And how do you plan on doing that? It doesn't sound like this guy will just let you take her."

"The police are after him," Quill explained, "when Gamora missed, Thanos went after Jessica himself. She's okay now, but he did shoot her in front of several witnesses. Basically, he just has to get caught at this point."

"Got it."

Quill blinked. That was kind of a strange response, wasn't it? It sounded like... "Wait! You aren't planning to do something on your own, are you?" Quill asked nervously. In trying to warn Scott, he may have inadvertently gotten him more involved.

"Of course not," Scott replied. It sounded natural enough, but Quill wasn't sure he completely believed it. "The guy has a gun, right? I'm not foolish enough to throw myself into that much danger. And you shouldn't be either, Quill. Let the police do their jobs."

"But--"

"I mean it. Getting yourself involved any further is just going to get you shot too-- and you might not be as lucky as Jessica. I don't want you to die. So stop, okay?"

"...I can't promise that."

Scott sighed. "Yeah, I know. At least promise you'll be careful?"

"I guess I can promise that much," Quill replied, "as long as you promise the same."

"Yeah. I promise," Scott said.

"Take care, Scott."

"Yeah. You too, Quill."

Quill ended the call there. Scott was right. If he was going to help Gamora, he couldn't be stupid about it. Problem was, he couldn't think of a way to go about it that wasn't completely crazy. He supposed he had the whole walk home to consider his options.

\---------------------

Gamora stared down at her phone. There were several missed calls from Scott. He'd tried texting her too, asking her to contact him when she got one of his messages. She couldn't exactly do that though. Not now anyway. She sighed and put it away. Honestly, it'd probably be best to get rid of the thing at this point. The tracking device on it had long since been disabled, but it was still a liability. If Thanos knew she still had it with her, he'd make her get rid of it.

At that moment, Thanos opened the door and said, "downstairs now. We're going to have a family meeting."

Gamora nodded and got up from her seated position on the floor. They'd taken refuge in an abandoned house for the time being. They wouldn't be staying long but, at least for the night, it was home. She followed her father down the steps and met up with Nebula.

Thanos looked at Gamora for a long moment before speaking up, "we're in this mess because of your weakness. The next time I tell you to do something, you need to do it without hesitation. Do you understand?"

"Yes, father," Gamora replied automatically.

Thanos closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Then why don't I believe you?"

Gamora didn't have an answer to that.

"Do you know what your actions cost us?" he asked, an undertone of rage in his voice. "All you had to do was take care of one little thing. But you couldn't do that."

"I... I'm sorry."

"Do you think a simple apology is enough to make things right?"

"No."

Thanos nodded and started pacing back and forth. "You're right about that. You have a long way to go to redeem yourself after the mistake you made at--"

"You're the one who made the mistake!" Nebula interjected.

"What did you say?" Thanos turned on her, eyes narrowed into a deadly glare.

"You heard me," she said, standing her ground, "none of this would have happened if you just left the situation alone. Whatever they had on us... it couldn't have been enough to matter. Not with the lawyers we could get! You're the one who escalated the situation."

Thanos said nothing, but Gamora could tell that Nebula was already on his last nerve.

"On top of that, you forced Gamora to do something she wasn't ready to do. If you wanted to make sure the job got done properly, you should have done it yourself!"

Thanos stepped forward and hit her hard across the face. Nebula staggered backward, but Thanos wasn't done with her. Not by a long shot. He went to hit her again, but Gamora came between them. "Stop! Please," she begged, "you're right, okay? It's my fault! Everything is my fault!"

Thanos stopped, considering her plea for a long moment. Finally, he took a deep breath and then left the room. Relief instantly washed over Gamora.

"It's not your fault," Nebula repeated as she gingerly touched her cheek.

"That doesn't matter," Gamora said, "you shouldn't have said any of that."

Nebula frowned and crossed her arms. She let a silence come between them for a few moments before quietly saying, "I couldn't just stand by and watch."

Gamora didn't say it aloud, but she was grateful for those words. She'd thought Nebula hated her and, well, maybe that was still true, but it was nice that she could also still worry about her. Maybe they weren't hopeless as sisters after all.

\---------------------

"Oh! Quill's home!" Mantis said cheerfully as Quill entered the house. He was a little surprised at how enthusiastic she was. Either shopping went really well or she already liked him more than he'd thought. He supposed it was always possible it was a little bit of both.

"Did you get a lot of cute clothes?" Quill asked.

"I did," Mantis said with a delighted giggle, "Loki was very generous."

"I didn't mean to be," Loki said from his seated position on the couch. "She just looked good in everything she tried. It would have been a crime to put anything back."

"He's just saying that. I know that I am not cute. Nice clothes won't change that."

"Mantis, you are very cute," Quill said firmly. He wasn't about to let his sister go around with that thought in her head-- especially since it was blantantly untrue.

"Don't let my brother hear you say that," Loki teased, "he's right though, Mantis. You are cute. If Ego or someone told you otherwise, they were lying." Mantis fidgeted awkwardly in response, but she did seem to be a little happy with what the two of them had just told her. Loki's attention turned back to Quill as he asked, "where is Thor anyway? I'm surprised he'd let you go anywhere on your own at this point."

"He's still at the hospital," Quill said, keeping his explanation short. Loki caught on.

"Did you two have a fight or something?"

"A minor one. We're fine though. I just needed a little space afterwards."

Loki looked Quill over, assessing him before letting out a sigh. "Well, I suppose all relationships have their scuffles. As long as it really is a minor thing I guess there's no reason for me to pry."

"It is. I promise."

"Alright then," Loki said with a nod.

"Speaking of brothers though... Where's Peter?" Quill asked, noting that he wasn't with the two of them.

Loki's cheeks turned slightly red. That was an interesting response. After a few seconds, Loki collected himself. He cleared his throat and answered the question. "He's next door at the moment with Shuri and Ned. I think they were planning to help each other with their science projects."

"Huh. Seriously? So it's not a competition anymore?"

"Oh, it's still a competition," Loki smiled, "it's just a very civil one."

"Do they know competitions aren't supposed to work that way?"

"Apparently not," Loki said with a small chuckle, "I find it too endearing to tell them otherwise though." The fondness in Loki's voice was unmistakable. 

"You know, I'm really glad you get along with Peter so well," Quill commented with a smile of his own.

Loki's expression immediately soured.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"I don't know what to do with him at the moment," Loki finally admitted with a sigh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Quill asked, one eyebrow cocked curiously.

Loki hesitated. It was easy to tell that he was trying to figure out how to word whatever he was trying to say. Quill wondered if he should be worried. Before he could go too far down that path of thought, Loki finally spoke up, "he, uh, may have indicated that he was... interested in me."

"Ah."

"That's it? That's all you have to say?"

"I mean, I'm a little surprised, but I don't really have a problem with it."

"I think you two would be adorable together," Mantis chimed in.

"That's not the issue!" Loki growled in frustration. "He's... Well, for one thing he's underage!"

"Yeah, but he won't be for long," Quill pointed out, "and it's not like you're some kind of predator that was grooming him especially for that purpose."

"No, but I still feel guilty," Loki explained, "maybe my interactions with him weren't as appropriate as I thought they were."

"You haven't done anything wrong."

"But--"

"You haven't," Quill said firmly. "If you don't feel comfortable thinking of Peter in that way, that's fine. I get it. In that case, you just have to turn him down. But if you think you might actually be able to return his feelings, well, you have my blessing. For whatever that's worth."

"You're not helpful at all."

"Why? Because you wanted me to tell you you couldn't date him so that you didn't have to think about it anymore?" Quill asked smugly.

"That's annoyingly perceptive," Loki sighed.

"Look, I get that relationships are scary. It can be easier on your own because you at least know what to expect from yourself. That being said... being with someone can be really rewarding too," Quill said, "I don't think Peter would give you much to regret. You should at least seriously consider it."

"I suppose," Loki said noncommittally.

"And just think, if you dated Peter, you could go on double dates with me and Thor," Quill said teasingly. He already knew that Loki wouldn't like the idea.

"Oooh! That sounds fun!" Mantis said happily.

"Then you date Peter and go on double dates with this moron," Loki said huffily.

"Peter is my brother though!" Mantis said, shocked that Loki would ever suggest something so scandalous.

Loki opened his mouth to reply, but then seemed to think better of what he was about to say. Quill imagined it was something along the lines of her not actually being blood related to Peter. Of course, Loki probably knew how hurtful that implication could be better than most people seeing as he was adopted himself. "You're right, of course," he sighed, "but the point still stands if we replace Peter with whoever you end up dating."

"If you go out with Peter and I go out with someone else, we could go on triple dates," Mantis suggested.

"Sure. Let me just set you up with my sister, Hela," Loki said sarcastically. "Then my family could just date your family. It wouldn't be weird at all."

"Is she nice?" Mantis asked curiously.

"Just... Just forget I said anything," Loki said, rubbing his forehead. He didn't know where to go from there. Quill didn't either.

"So," Quill said, changing the subject, "what were you two watching?"

That did the trick and distracted Mantis. "Oh! It's a very cute romantic comedy," she explained, "you should join us."

"I think I will," Quill said. He hadn't gotten to properly spend time with his sister yet. This was probably as good a way as any to start.

\---------------------

Thor took a deep breath. He wasn't really ready to see his father. Still, after leaving the hospital, he'd made up his mind to do it. He had to ask and see for himself if there was any validity to what Quill had told him. He owed Quill that much. After what seemed like ages, they let Odin in to see him.

"I see you've chosen to waste your time again," Odin said, taking a seat behind the glass, "I would think you had better things to do than come visit me in prison."

"Seeing you isn't a waste of my time," Thor replied, "but... I'm not here just to visit. I needed to ask you some things."

Odin responded with silence.

"I hired a detective to look into things," Thor continued, "and, well, some uncomfortable things have been brought up in the process. Mainly, the implication that you used Hela to make people do what you wanted."

The look on Odin's face was grave, but he still didn't say a word.

"Is that why you're allowing yourself to be here?" Thor asked, "is it supposed to be some kind of punishment for what you did to her?"

"It is the punishment she decided on," Odin said finally, "the least I can do for her at this point is accept it."

Thor froze. That was as good as an admission. That meant that everything he knew about Hela, his dad, their wealth, and the company was wrong. It also meant that Quill was right. Thor just sat there in a sort of daze.

"I was not a good father to Hela. I did use her and when she got caught, I abandoned her. I didn't visit her once while she was in jail. I didn't even have Frigga pass on a message for me when she did. This is the least I deserve for all I've done so stop. You are not obligated to help me and I wish that you wouldn't."

"But--"

"Enough, boy. Go and live your life. You've already wasted enough of it on me." That said, Odin got up from his chair and went over to the guards. "We're done here," he said. He didn't even look back. Thor thought that maybe Odin was trying to make it easier to abandon him. Thor didn't plan on doing that. Still... while he wouldn't stop visiting, maybe it was time to put a stop to the investigation. Incriminating his sister wasn't something he was sure he wanted to do anymore. And Thanos... Well, he'd go to jail for shooting Jessica. He wasn't sure what would happen to Gamora though. The idea of her being thrown in jail along with her father didn't sit well with him.


	24. Chapter 24

Thor came back home some time after dinner. Honestly, he'd been out longer than Quill had expected. That made him a little nervous about where they stood. Of course, Thor could have just been giving him the space he'd asked for, but something about his behavior seemed a little off. Quill got the sense he was still upset-- maybe even more upset than he was earlier.

"Hey, Thor," Quill said once they were alone in his room, "is something--"

Thor wrapped his arms around Quill and pulled him into a hug. Quill was a bit baffled by the sudden display of affection, but he let it slide and pat Thor on the back.

"Can we just stay like this for a bit?" Thor asked quietly.

"Yeah," Quill replied. He could feel Thor relax against him. "What happened?"

"You were right," Thor said soberly. "I went to see my dad and he basically confirmed what you said."

"...I didn't want to be right."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For the way I treated you when you told me."

"Seriously, it wasn't that bad," Quill said with a sigh, "honestly, I'd be in denial too if someone told me something like that about Yondu." Though, Yondu did run with a biker gang called the Ravagers way back in the day. He supposed it wouldn't be totally unbelievable. He didn't bring that up to Thor though. It'd only lessen his point. "I kind of knew it was coming too, so it wasn't like I was surprised or anything. I--"

Thor leaned and kissed Quill. Okay, so things were going in that direction. Quill supposed he didn't really mind. He was just glad that Thor still wanted to be like this with him after their little spat at the hospital. Thus, he didn't protest when Thor led him over to the bed and pinned him down. He didn't protest when Thor started removing articles of clothing either.

"Hey Quill," Loki said, inconveniently barging into the room in typical Loki fashion, "can I--" He stopped short as he once again realized he was interrupting things.

"Damn it, Loki! How do you do this every time?" Thor asked with a groan.

"It's not my fault you two can't keep your hands off each other for one second," Loki said huffily.

Quill leaned back on the bed and sighed as the two continued bickering. Well, at least it looked like things were starting to get back to normal. Once they figured out things with Gamora and her family, maybe they could just enjoy that for a bit.

\---------------------

Nebula couldn't sleep. She was still thinking about what had transpired earlier. Thanos had his own plans, but Nebula was more convinced than ever that she didn't want to be a part of them. She just wasn't sure she'd be able to get Gamora to come with her. Their father had a hold over her that wouldn't be easy to break. The fact that she was on bitter terms with her sister wouldn't help matters either.

As Nebula watched Gamora sleep, she noticed her sister's phone peeking out from under a jacket she'd bundled up to use as a sort of makeshift pillow. Curious, Nebula grabbed it. It's contents were protected by a password, but Nebula managed to guess it on the second attempt. Maybe they were closer than she'd given them credit for after all. Nebula saw that Gamora had a lot of unread texts from Scott.

Maybe... Nebula started forming a thought. She took the phone with her and went outside. Despite it being nearly midnight, she went ahead and dialed his number. To the guy's credit, he answered almost immediately. "Gamora," he said quickly, "please don't hang up, okay? We have to talk!"

"I'm not going to hang up, Scott," Nebula replied.

"Hm? Nebula?"

"That's right."

Scott paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing the conversation. "The two of you can't stay with Thanos," Scott said.

"I know," Nebula said seriously, "I don't know if Gamora knows that though."

"Can I talk to her?"

"She'd just hang up. There isn't a lot of battery life left in this thing either. You probably wouldn't have the time you'd need to convince her."

"Then you have to convince her."

"I doubt I'll be able to," Nebula said, "but I do think you can. If you think you're up for it, I'll set up a meeting for you two. She'll have a harder time refusing you if she sees you face to face."

"Okay, yeah. Name the place and the time and I'll be there."

"Whatever happens, you can't let her go back to Thanos, understood?"

"Understood."

\---------------------

Gamora crossed her arms and shivered. She really should have brought that jacket. In a few hours that would be over kill, but right now, in the early hours of the morning before the sun rose, it was on the chilly side. Whatever Nebula needed to talk about, she couldn't see why it had to be done out here. Well, that wasn't entirely true. If it had something to do with their father, she could understand not wanting to risk him overhearing.

It wasn't Nebula who approached her though. The person who stepped out of the shadows and revealed themselves was none other than Scott. Gamora wanted to bolt. He seemed to know that since he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. "Don't leave," he said, "please, just hear me out."

Gamora sighed, lowering her defenses. It was good to see him. Even if the circumstances weren't ideal. "There's nothing to say," she said quietly.

"Well, I disagree with that wholeheartedly."

"You wouldn't if you knew what I did."

"You tried to shoot someone," Scott said bluntly, "Quill told me."

Gamora chewed her bottom lip nervously.

"But that's not who you are. You--"

"I did it, Scott! That makes it who I am!" she responded, raising her voice, "I missed, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have done it. I would have killed her, Scott. That makes me... That makes me..."

"I still love you," Scott said.

Gamora froze.

"It's not good that you would have gone through with it, but... I know there was never a moment where you wanted to do it. And I also know that you thought it was the only way to protect me," Scott said, "to be honest, I don't know if I'd be able to say all of that confidently if you had actually killed Jessica, but you didn't. That means you can still make things right. Just stop being that person you currently think you are."

"I want to," she responded, "but I'm afraid of what Thanos will do if I disobey him."

"I might have an idea," Scott said, "it's not a great one, but... I think it'll protect you and the people you care about."

Gamora looked him in the eye, asking him to explain without actually saying a word.

"We're going to turn ourselves in," Scott said with a strained smile.

"Are you crazy?"

"Hear me out, okay? If you're in jail, your usefulness to Thanos is limited. Threatening the people you care about won't get him anywhere because you won't actually be able to do any of the things that he'd ask you to do. And with him being otherwise occupied, I think that he'd be forced to leave you alone for the time being."

"That... actually makes sense," Gamora admitted, "but I don't see why you'd have to turn yourself in too."

"Well, I'm not going to ask you to do anything I won't do myself," Scott explained.

"Even if that means you can't see Cassie for awhile?"

"...Yeah," Scott sighed, "she'll be disappointed, but she'll be okay."

Gamora took a moment to consider her options before settling on her answer. Once she did, she said, "alright. I'll do it. I have two conditions though."

"Which are?"

"One, you're not going to turn yourself in. I'm happy that you'd go that far for me, but there's no point in you getting locked up too. Cassie needs her father and, well, if you're on the outside... maybe you could come pay me a visit sometime. If you wanted to." Gamora blushed slightly as she said it. Of course, it wasn't nearly as embarrassing as her second condition. "And two, before I exchange one prison for another... I... I want to go on a proper date."

Scott smiled. "Yeah. I think those conditions are doable." He took a step closer to Gamora and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "And I will come visit you. Every chance I get."

It was funny. There was a lot to be unhappy about, but all Gamora could feel at the moment was joy. For once in her life, she was kind of hopeful about her future. The fact that she'd be locked up in a cell soon enough seemed like a minor inconvenience. "Oh," Gamora started, suddenly thinking of something, "what about Nebula?"

"She planned to disappear after setting up our meeting. I think she'll be fine."

"I hope so..."

"Don't worry about things you can't control. There's something else you should be focusing on right now anyway."

"And what's that?"

"Where you want to go for our date," Scott said simply.

"Honestly? Anywhere is fine as long as it's with you," Gamora smiled.

\---------------------

When Thanos woke up, it didn't take him long to figure out that he was alone in the house. He hadn't given his daughters permission to leave. That meant that they'd both abandoned him. Honestly, he'd sort of expected it from Nebula, but Gamora... He'd always thought his hold over her was powerful enough to keep her by his side. Well, no matter. He'd just have to proceed without them.

But proceed where? That was the real conundrum. The police had seen his face and Jessica had definitely provided them with a name. The sensible thing to do would be to go into hiding. Hiding was something Thanos didn't do though.

He supposed all that was left to do was inflict as much damage as possible to the people he deemed responsible until he got caught. Jessica was, of course, the one that immediately came to mind, but Thanos reminded himself that she hadn't actually been the one who called the cops. No. That was Tony Stark.


	25. Chapter 25

"Calm down," Tony said into the phone, stress rising. Pepper was frantically trying to tell him something, but so far she hadn't been able to verbalize it in a cohesive way. She was too upset. "I can't understand what you're saying."

Bruce took over. His voice was panicked too, but he managed to get the words out. "Morgan is missing. Someone took her."

Tony froze. He already had a good idea of who that someone was. "You called the police, right?" he asked finally, struggling to keep his emotions in check. Breaking down now was not going to help his daughter.

"Of course," Bruce said, "but we don't know what else to do."

"...It'll be okay. I'll get her back," Tony said, biting his lip. He had to get her back-- whatever the cost. He couldn't live with himself if something happened to Morgan. Tony exchanged a few more words with Bruce before hanging up. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Morgan's in trouble?" Jessica asked from her hospital bed. She couldn't overhear the whole conversation, but she had apparently been able to pick up bits and pieces.

"She was kidnapped," Tony clarified, "I think it was Thanos."

Jessica nodded and then tried to get out of bed.

"Hey! Stop! What do you think you're doing?"

"You need my help."

"I need you to stay in bed," Tony retorted as Jessica glared at him. He softened his tone and crouched down so he was looking up at her. "Please. I don't want to have to worry about you too."

Jessica sighed. "Maybe I can help from here," she said finally. "Can you grab my laptop for me?"

Tony nodded and dug through her bag. He set it up for her and plugged the charger into the outlet on the wall. "Let me know if you dig up anything helpful, okay?"

"Yeah," Jessica said, "I'll let the others know too. Thanos may not stop at Morgan." Tony didn't reply to that. It was a thought he didn't want to humor. "Be careful, okay?"

"You're actually worried about me?" Tony asked.

Jessica hesitated for a moment before saying, "yes."

\---------------------

After getting the call from Jessica, Quill called Scott. He was only remotely related to all of this, but Quill didn't feel right leaving him out of the loop. If something happened to Cassie because he didn't say anything... Well, he was saying something so he didn't have to think about that. "Scott, you know how I told you to be careful before?" he asked once Scott picked up the phone, "well, you need to keep a close eye on Cassie too. Thanos just took Tony Stark's daughter, Morgan. I don't know if you're a target he'd consider, but..."

Quill trailed off when he heard someone who wasn't Scott speak up on the other side of the phone. It was a woman's voice and she was whispering something to Scott. They bickered back and forth for a moment before Scott replied. "Quill," he started with a sigh, "I've got Gamora with me. She wants to try and help."

Gamora took over the conversation. "I don't know exactly where he is, but I do have a few ideas regarding where he might have gone."

"You... You're not on his side, right?" It was a dumb question, but Quill needed to hear the answer from her.

"No," Gamora said firmly, "I'm... I'm not okay with what I did and I'm not okay with him kidnapping a helpless child. I'm going to turn myself in once we get Morgan back."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It's the right thing to do."

"Okay," Quill said with a deep breath. He didn't want Gamora to go to jail, but realistically speaking, this was probably the best outcome they could have hoped for. He only hoped the police would let her off easy once she'd helped them out. "I have Thor with me and I can get Tony. We should all meet somewhere."

"How about that park? The one we went to that night you heard me out."

"Got it. We'll head over now."

"We'll see you soon then."

\---------------------

As arranged, everyone met up at the park shortly after. Tony didn't seem too happy with Gamora which was understandable considering that she almost shot Jessica herself. However, he kept that to himself seeing as she was helping now. 

"So, where do we start?" Quill asked.

"I should point out that if we do find a promising lead, we need to inform the police," Scott said, "all we're going to do is get ourselves shot if we're not careful."

"Right. That's fair," Quill said. "We'll carefully scope out the areas and if we find any sign of him will call the police and let them do their thing. Everyone good with that?"

Most of the group chimed in with some sort of affirmative. Tony was the only one who remained silent. Quill didn't push the issue, but he made a mental note to keep an eye on their Physics professor.

Gamora borrowed Scott's phone and brought up a map of the immediate area. She pointed out a few different locations and then went over what she knew about each of them.

"We can cover more ground if we split up," Gamora mentioned, "smaller groups are less likely to be spotted than bigger ones. I don't think it's smart to go alone though."

"So, you're thinking two teams?" Thor asked.

"I'll stick with Scott," Gamora said, "the three of you can form your own team or one of you can come with us."

"That arrangement is fine," Quill said quickly. He didn't think Tony would change partners, but he wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen.

"Then Scott and I will take the locations to the west," Gamora nodded, "you guys can cover the eastern most locations."

"Got it."

That decided, the two teams split up and headed to their designated locations.

\---------------------

Quill's team found Thanos first. He'd taken refuge in an abandoned amusement park which Quill found kind of creepy. Of course, that wasn't half as creepy as the fact that he'd apparently chosen the fun house as his base of operation. They'd spotted him entering it a few minutes ago.

"Do you think Morgan is in there too?" Thor asked.

"I don't know," Quill said, "but that's not for us to find out. Let's let the others know and then call the police."

"Right. You want to tell Scott and Gamora? I'll call the police."

Quill nodded and then began texting on his phone. He let Scott and Gamora know where they were as Thor contacted the police. After sending the message, Quill looked up from his phone to find that Tony had vanished. "Fuck," Quill cursed.

Catching the comment, Thor looked Quill's way questioningly.

"Finish the call," Quill said, "I'll go grab Tony before he does something stupid."

Quill didn't stick around to catch the look of worry on Thor's face. There was only one place Tony would have gone so Quill headed to the fun house after him. With no electricity powering the attraction, the inside was dark. Quill ran his hand along the wall to navigate. He almost tripped several times and he could swear he was working his way through some kind of maze. It'd be convenient if he could just call Tony's name, but that wasn't a good idea when Thanos was supposed to be around.

Quill rounded a corner and spotted a lamp light ahead. It was probably something that Thanos had set up, but if Tony had seen it, Quill was sure he would have gone towards it. Quill took a deep breath to calm his nerves and then cautiously approached it. He jumped in surprise as he caught sight of someone squirming in the shadows near the light source.

"Morgan?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

He got a response, but he couldn't make out any actual words. Her mouth was probably covered.

Quill hurried over to her and confirmed that the figure was indeed Morgan. She'd been tied to a column and gagged. "It's okay," Quill said, trying to sound more confident than he actually was, "I'm going to get you out of here." As Quill took the gag out of her mouth, he heard a low voice come from behind him.

"Interesting," Thanos said, "you're not the one I was expecting."

\---------------------

Tony groaned in frustration as he figured out that he'd reached another dead end. This place was supposed to be for kids, right? Then why was this goddamn maze so difficult? Light would have helped, of course, but he still thought he should have made his way through it by now. Tony started heading back the way he'd come from when he began hearing voices from up ahead.

"I don't know what your plan is here, but you're just making things worse for yourself." That was Quill. The kid had followed him into the fun house. Tony cursed under his breath. He'd hoped Quill had more common sense than that, but he supposed he should have known better. "If you stop now and turn yourself in--"

Thanos laughed. "Did you really think appealing to me like that would work?" he asked, "no, I suppose you didn't. You just don't know what else to do, do you?"

Tony quickened his pace. He had to get to them. Now.

"At least let Morgan go," Quill said, "please. She has nothing to do with this."

"I disagree."

Tony caught sight of the light and saw Thanos lift his gun. He charged, ramming into Thanos' arm. The gun went flying into the darkness. Quill took advantage of the situation. He ran over to Thanos and swung a punch at the man's face. It hit. Unfortunately, it only seemed to annoy Thanos. He grabbed Tony and Quill by their shirt collars and lifted each of them up into the air.

Thor suddenly burst onto the scene. With a mighty roar, he ran in and, with a flying leap, kicked Thanos' in the back. It knocked Thanos off balance and for a split second he loosened his grip. Tony and Quill managed to pull themselves free. "Get Morgan and get her out of here," Quill shouted to Tony.

Tony didn't need to be told twice. He headed over to Morgan and immediately got to work loosening the rope binding her wrists. When he finally got her untied, he scooped her up and headed into the darkness.

Thor managed to keep Thanos occupied as Quill looked for the gun. It was what he should have done in the first place, but... he really didn't want to have to use it. He half hoped that he wouldn't find it. Quill chewed his lip nervously and tried to convince himself that he wouldn't actually have to fire the thing. All he'd have to do was point it at Thanos and get him to surrender. That was it. Nobody in their right mind would risk getting shot. Of course, Quill wasn't sure Thanos was in his right mind. Quill fumbled around for a few more seconds before finding the gun.

He picked it up and turned it on Thanos. "Stop," Quill ordered.

Thanos grabbed at Thor, probably hoping to use him as a shield. However, Thor dodged and backed away, giving Quill a clear shot at Thanos.

"Surrender and nobody has to get hurt," Quill said.

"You're not going to shoot that gun," Thanos said with a confident smile.

Quill tried to keep his hands from shaking, but it wasn't working. He tried to sound confident as he asked, "do you really want to take that risk?"

Thanos took a step towards him. Quill paled. Thanos' smile only broadened.

"I've got this, Quill." The voice was Gamora's. Her and Scott stepped into the light and revealed themselves. While Scott went to check on Thor, Gamora walked over to Quill and took the gun from him. She pointed it at Thanos. She wasn't conflicted this time.

"You wouldn't," Thanos growled.

"I would," she said, "and you know why? Peter Quill, Thor Odinson, Scott Lang, and all those other names you've used against me! Taking you down is what will protect them. If it costs me my freedom, then so be it. I was never free to begin with." Gamora took a deep breath and added, "you should be proud, dad, because I'm not going to hesitate this time."

Thanos stared Gamora down, assessing her. Then, after a long moment, he raised his hands into the air and got on his knees. "I surrender," he said with a tired sigh.

\---------------------

Misty and the rest of the police got there under a minute later. They took Thanos into custody while the others regrouped outside of the fun house.

"I'm sorry," Tony said, looking at Quill specifically. "I know I shouldn't have--"

"It worked out so let's not worry about it," Quill said with a smile, "though... if you want to make up for it you could give me and Thor an A in your class."

"Fat chance," Tony said bluntly, "if you want that A, you have to earn it."

"Damn. I thought that might work."

"Well, it didn't. Neither of you actually have to do much to bump up your grade though. Shockingly, you're both doing pretty well."

"What do you mean shockingly?"

Tony grinned in response. "I'd better give Pepper the good news. Jessica will want to know what happened too."

"Fine, run away," Quill said. Tony waved at them as he took his daughter's hand and led her away from the group.

"I'm so glad everyone is okay," Gamora said as she watched them go.

"Hey, Gamora," Quill started, "how did you and Scott get here so fast?"

"Well, we headed over as soon as we got your text."

"She may have made me run a few red lights on the way over," Scott added with a grin. Gamora puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. "She was really worried about you guys."

"As she should have been, apparently," Thor sighed, "you really got us out of a tight spot. Thank you, Gamora."

"I was just cleaning up my family's mess," she said. Gamora took Scott's hand in hers. "Anyway, I'm going to take Scott here and spend a moment with him in private before they take me in. I'd spend more time with you guys, but..."

"We get it," Quill smiled. "And expect a visit from us sometime soon."

"I'll also see what I can do about hiring you a kick ass lawyer," Thor added.

Gamora smiled and then pulled Scott aside. It only took them about two seconds before they were engaging in a full blown make out session.

"They know we can still see them, right?" Quill asked.

"I'm pretty sure they don't care," Thor responded with a chuckle, "should we follow their lead?"

"When we get home," Quill said, "I don't really want to do that sort of thing in front of all these cops."

"That's no fun."

"I've personally had enough fun for today," Quill said, shivering at the thought of the fun house.

"No dates at amusement parks for awhile then?"

"Well... I don't know about that. It might be nice to replace these memories with some nicer ones," Quill said with a shrug, "maybe it'd be good to go to an amusement park. We could drag Loki and Peter along with us too."

"Or not. Believe it or not, I do like getting you to myself upon occasion," Thor said, "which reminds me... I talked to T'Challa and he has agreed to sell his house to me and Loki."

"Huh?"

"Well, Loki and I couldn't live at your place forever and I figured if we bought the house next door, we could take Mantis in too. That way she'd get her own room, but she'd still be close enough to go spend time with you. Also, I'd be your neighbor. You could sneak over anytime you wanted to sleep over or, you know, do something a little more interesting."

"Yeah, except you're taking Loki with you. We'd still get interrupted."

"Right. Maybe I'll just leave him behind and take you with me instead then," Thor grinned.

"Peter might appreciate that too," Quill chuckled.

"Hm?"

"Oh, yeah. You don't know. My brother is totally after Loki."

"Really? Do you think his chances are good?"

"Since Loki didn't immediately say no, I'd say it's only a matter of time until he gives in."

"Loki dating someone... That will be an interesting thing to see," Thor commented.

"Agreed," Quill laughed. "Oh! And before I forget, you were really cool back there when you fought off Thanos."

"Yeah? Was I cool enough to get a kiss?"

Quill smiled and then leaned in. Thor closed the gap between the two of them and kissed Quill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks, the story is almost done. The next chapter will just be a collection of epilogue type scenes that take place in the near future. Why the near future? Well, that would be because I'll be writing a sequel to this story. So, don't be too sad that this one is ending. ;)


	26. Epilogues

The sun was out in full force, making the day obnoxiously hot as Nebula walked along the side of the road. She didn't know where she was going, but that hardly mattered as long as it was away from Thanos. She eventually stopped under a particularly shady tree and took a swig from her water bottle. Nebula hoped Scott had managed to help her sister. Leaving Gamora behind was her one real regret.

"Hey, blue," a condescending voice came from nearby. Nebula turned her attention to the trailer that pulled over next to her. A familiar raccoon face poked out of the window. "You going somewhere?"

Nebula smiled. "Why? You going to take me there?"

"I might think about it," Rocket grinned back. "Thanos got arrested, by the way. Your sister did too. Her sentence is more of a formality though. I was thinking I'd head back to town and check in with Scott. Want to come? You can crash with me and Groot while you figure things out."

"I am Groot," Groot said, poking his head out the window as well.

"Ooh. He even offered you the couch. That's kind of a big deal coming from him."

"I am Groot?"

"What he said. You coming?"

"Might as well," Nebula shrugged casually. In actuality, she was pretty happy. She'd thought that she was on her own for good this time. The thought that she might actually have some friends-- or at least amicable acquaintances-- she could tag along with was an exciting revelation.

"Then hop in and let's get going," Rocket said.

"I am Groot!" Groot cheered.

Nebula was kind of looking forward to spending some time with this tiny band of miscreants. 

\---------------------

After coming up with a proper plan of action, Thor and Loki decided it was time to see their sister and make a few demands. Thor wasn't sure it'd work, but he hoped that his sister would be on board with the plan. "Another visit already," Hela commented with a sly smile as she opened the door, "I'm much more popular now than I was when I was in jail."

"We're sorry about that," Thor said straightforwardly. It caught Hela off guard a bit. "No matter what you did, you're still our sister. We should have been there for you."

Thor nudged Loki. Loki sighed and swallowed his pride. "He's right, of course," Loki said, "I'm sorry too."

"What is this about?" Hela asked them suspiciously.

"Can we come in?" Thor asked.

Hela stood aside and allowed the two of them to come in. They each took a chair sitting across from Fenris' couch. Hela took a seat next to him and repeated her question, "well?"

"I want to do what I can to right dad's wrongs," Thor said seriously.

"How?" Hela asked, crossing her legs and leaning back in the couch.

"I want to make amends with the people dad had you hurt and legitimize everything. No more back door deals."

"That's rather idealistic."

"That doesn't mean it's not worth trying. Besides, with you and Loki on my side, I'm sure we can figure it out."

Hela laughed. "I'm on your side now?"

"I think deep down this is what you want too," Thor said confidently. Hela took a serious look at him this time. "You know the company better than anyone. If we're going to pull this off, you have to be a part of it too. So please, say yes."

After a long pause, Hela finally gave them her answer. "Alright," she said, "but if this is going to work, I can't be in charge of the company. That'll fall to you, Thor. Do you think you're ready for that kind of responsibility?"

"Probably not," Thor admitted, "but I'll figure it out."

"And, naturally, we'll help," Loki added.

"I suppose I should inform the board members that you'll be taking over then," Hela said, getting up from her seated position.

"Oh, and one more thing," Thor said quickly, stopping her, "you and mom are invited to dinner at our new house."

"New house, huh?" Hela frowned, "you do realize I would have let you return home if you'd just pushed the issue a bit, right? I just wanted to punish you a bit for ignoring me all these years."

Thor and Loki exchanged glances. "W-well, it all worked out," Thor said, "if we moved back in, I wouldn't be living next door to my boyfriend."

Hela chuckled. "Well, suit yourself."

"You'll come then?"

"Can I bring Fenris?"

"Of course."

"Then I guess I'll be there."

\---------------------

Gamora smiled when she saw Scott take a seat on the other side of the glass. He really had kept his word about coming to visit her. In fact, he visited her so often that she barely had any time to miss him. Not being able to touch him was certainly a bother though. Still, she'd be released soon enough. She just had to play nice until then.

"So, what's brings a handsome stranger like you to a place like this?" Gamora asked playfully.

"Well," Scott started, leaning in conspiratorially, "I heard tale of a beautiful woman lingering around these parts. Looks like the rumors were true."

Oh, what Gamora would do to this man if there wasn't a sheet of glass in between them. As soon as she got out of here, she was going to make up for that date she never got. It would have been nice if all of the Thanos drama had happened just a little bit later. Of course, she wasn't really complaining. Even though she was in prison, she felt more free than she'd ever had before and that was because she had a life with Scott to look forward to when she got out.

\---------------------

"So, that was basically the long way of saying that I couldn't be happier for Pepper and Bruce. I wish them both a long life full of happiness," Tony said, ending his toast to the newlyweds. It was kind of weird celebrating his former wife getting married to his best friend, but what he'd said had been true. He was genuinely happy for them. Tony had really come a long way since the divorce. And most of that was thanks to Jessica.

He still couldn't believe he'd gotten her to come as his plus one-- and in a dress no less! She looked fantastic. It was too bad she'd refused to let him take a picture. He supposed he'd just have to burn the image into his memory as he doubted he'd get the chance to see her like this again anytime soon. Even if they were officially dating now, Tony knew better than to assume she'd wear a dress just for him.

Once the speeches wound down, the dancing started. Bruce and Pepper gracefully glided across the dance floor, eyes fixed on each other as they smiled. "So," Tony started, scooting his chair closer to Jessica's, "any chance I'll get a dance?"

"I'm going to need a few more drinks before I even consider saying yes to that," Jessica said bluntly.

"To the open bar then?" Tony asked with a smile, offering her his arm.

"I thought you'd never ask," Jessica responded with a smile of her own.

\---------------------

Peter looked himself over in the mirror one last time and took a deep breath. Everything was fine. He shouldn't just assume the worst because Loki hadn't said anything about his confession. Even if he didn't get a positive response, well... Ned and Shuri were there too cheer him up. Of course, seeing them be all cutesy with each other would be far more tolerable if Loki agreed to date him.

"Everything okay in there?" Ned asked, knocking on the bathroom door.

"Y-yeah. Everything is fine," Peter replied. He slapped his cheeks and whispered a quick, "get it together, Peter," before exiting the bathroom and rejoining his friends in the living room. They played a few games together while they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive. When he heard the doorbell ring, Peter got up from his seat and answered the door.

Loki stood there, a little more dressed up than usual. Peter gulped. "S-so," Peter started, "it's my birthday today."

"I am aware," Loki responded formally.

"Which means I'm eighteen. And totally legal."

"Your present isn't porn if that's what you're getting at."

Peter blushed. Loki couldn't have really forgotten, could he?

Before Peter could get too frustrated, Loki pat him on the head and ruffled his hair. "I give in," he said with a smile, "I don't know if it'll work out, but I'll try going out with you and seeing what happens."

"You mean it?" Peter asked excitedly. A chance is all he needed.

"Yeah. I can't exactly reject you on your birthday, now can I?"

"That was part of the plan," Peter admitted.

"You're more devious than you look," Loki commented. "Anyway, I do have an actual present for you, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give you this as well."

Peter looked at him curiously for a moment before Loki leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Peter turned a dark shade of red immediately. "I promise I'll make you the happiest man in the world," Peter declared.

Loki turned just as red as Peter. He supposed that declaration had been a little embarrassing. Peter meant it though. Loki wasn't going to regret dating him-- though, it might take a little time to get over their initial awkwardness.

\---------------------

"Okay, it's soap opera night so Loki, Mantis, and Yondu will be occupied for approximately one hour," Quill said seriously as he barged into Thor's house. Thor had given him a key ages ago and Quill had since made use of it several times. "That means that there should be no interruptions for that period of time."

"Then let's do this," Thor said, grabbing the remote. He was about to turn off the TV when the program Thor was watching came back from commercial break. It was some sort of celebrity news show and Danny Rand happened to be on. The TV show's hostess briefly introduced the topic before switching over to a video clip.

"So, Mr. Rand. When are you planning on settling down?" an obnoxious reporter asked from the crowd.

Danny glanced back at a guy Quill didn't recognize. From the tense look on his face, Quill came to the conclusion that this mystery man must be Ward. Danny turned his attention back to the crowd and said, "you know what? I'm tired of hiding." Ward slapped his palm against his face, already predicting what was about to come out of Danny's mouth. "I've been happily married to the most wonderful man in the world for over a year now."

Reporters tripped over themselves asking a slew of new questions as the crowd buzzed with shocked chatter. The clip ended there and the TV hostess responded with excitement, wondering who Danny's mystery husband could be. It was kind of nice that the announcement seemed to be met with more curiosity than judgement. Quill was sure that there were still people like that out there, but Danny was already well liked for drastically dropping the price on life saving drugs his company had developed. Maybe this coming out of his would change a few minds.

"You good?" Thor asked.

"Hm? Oh, you kept it on for me?"

"You seemed interested."

"Well, it was about Danny," Quill said as he approached the couch where Thor was sitting. He wrapped his arms around Thor's shoulders. "Him and Luke did kind of help me make the decision to go out with you, you know? Without them it probably would have taken me much longer to come around to the idea."

"I'll have to thank them the next time I see them then. I don't know if I could have waited any longer than I did."

Quill chuckled. "You're really impatient sometimes, you know that?"

"When it comes to you, I can't help myself," Thor said smoothly, turning to look at Quill.

Quill kissed him and then said, "as much as I appreciate the mushy stuff, we're quickly losing our window of opportunity."

"Right," Thor said. He gently removed himself from Quill's grip and got off the couch. He then moved around the couch to where Quill was standing. Quill kind of expected Thor to take his hand. What he didn't expect was to be scooped up and carried to Thor's room bridal style. It was a little embarrassing, but it was also kind of fun.

Once there, Thor put Quill on the bed and crawled on top. Staring down at Quill, he said, "I love you."

"I love you too," Quill replied with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for this one, folks! I do have the first chapter for the sequel written so I'll probably be posting that pretty soon. Be on the look out for that.
> 
> In the meantime, I did start a couple of other Marvel stories. One is a Cruise Ship AU which should end up being a bunch of fun nonsense. On the other side of the spectrum, I also started a Mech AU kind of inspired by Pacific Rim. That one is a more serious one. If either of those sound interesting to you, go check them out. ;)
> 
> Other than that, I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read this story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. <3


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